Persahabatan Hospital’s Experience on Establishing the First Lung Transplant Program in Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Lung transplant can greatly improve life expectancy, functional status and quality of live for people with lung failure. In severe lung diseases that no longer respond to medication, a lung transplant is often the only treatment. Indonesia, which ranks first in the world for highest smoking rates and have been battling a seemingly endless tuberculosis endemic, have potential lung transplant recipients in abundance. As the National Respiratory Center, Persahabatan Hospital has the responsibility to provide state-of-the-art respiratory service for the country. Therefore, Persahabatan Hospital has been establishing the first lung transplant program in Indonesia.

Methods: This paper presents a narrative review of how Persahabatan Hospital is developing the country's first lung transplant program. This review described the journey, along with the challenges and progress of the program.

Results: The very first lung transplant surgery has not yet taken place, despite the efforts of the entire hospital staff. Securing a brain-dead donor as the only source of donor lungs remains challenging. However, we have achieved some milestones, such as developing a lung transplant candidate management system, assembling a dedicated team for managing brain death patients, and establishing a program to approach the next-of-kin of brain death patients. Integration and collaboration within this team will grow and represent a multidisciplinary approach that is vital for the program's long-term success.

Conclusion: The lung transplant program is complex in many ways. It is an expensive process, requiring cooperation among various specialists, and it is difficult to find suitable donors. There are also non-technical aspects such as sociological and legal considerations that must be taken into account. The success of this first lung transplant program is crucial for developing alternative treatments for patients, gaining acceptance of the procedure in Indonesia, and enabling further expansion of the procedure to other centers across Indonesia.