Exhaled Breath Particles in Lung Transplantation

Samples of EBP and measurement of PFR will be done on patients undergoing lung transplantation at Skåne University Hospital (SUS) Lund. Measurements of EBP and PFR and collection of blood will be done repeatedly postoperatively when the patient is still in the hospital, at three months post-transplantation, at six months post-transplantation, at 12 months post-transplantation and annually after that. An additional preoperative blood sample will also be obtained. Furthermore, the investigators will collect bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung biopsies when the patient is scheduled for routine bronchoscopies in the follow-up period. This study involves measurements of EBP and PFR done by the particles in exhaled air (PExA) system on lung transplanted patients with and without acute or chronic rejection. The patients who do not develop any form of rejection will serve as a control group to the ones who develop rejection. Furthermore, each patient will serve as their own control. The purpose of this study is to find better means of identifying rejection of transplanted lungs in earlier stages, and to explore candidate biomarkers. Earlier diagnosis of rejection of the transplanted organ can lead to better treatment possibilities and a positive impact on survival after LTx.