History of Donor Marijuana Use Doesn’t Harm Lung Transplants, May Improve Them
A lung being donated from someone with a history of marijuana use does not negatively effect the outcome of the lung transplant, and may in fact improve it.
This is according to a new study published by the European Journal Cardio-Thoracic Surgery; it was published online by the U.S. National Institute of Health.
For the study, researchers “retrospectively analysed lung ‘organ offers’ and LTx [lung transplantation]” over a six year period. The outcomes of lung transplants “utilizing lungs from donors with a history of cannabis smoking were compared with the outcomes of those with no such history”; this was done using unadjusted model as well as propensity score matching. A total of 302 transplants were examined over the six year period.
The study found that; “The history of donor cannabis smoking does not appear to affect early and mid-term outcomes after LTx and potentially improve the donor pool”.
Researchers conclude by stating; “As it does not seem to negatively affect the outcomes after LTx, it should not be per se considered a contraindication for lung donation.”
Click here for the full text of this study.