Lung allocation in the United States.

Lung allocation in the United States has changed significantly with the introduction of the Lung Allocation Score (LAS) system in May 2005. Since then, organ allocation is no longer based on waiting time but on a measure of transplant benefit (the difference between survival with vs without a transplant). The LAS system has met its primary goal of reducing time and mortality on the waiting list. Better understanding of pretransplant factors that influence long-term posttransplant outcomes of the individual patient will be instrumental in improving the LAS system in the future. Published by Elsevier Inc.