First S3 guideline on follow-up care after lung transplantation published for German-speaking countries

In German-speaking countries, approximately 450 lung transplants are performed each year—around 100 of them at Hannover Medical School (MHH). The follow-up care of more than 1,000 adult lung transplant recipients currently treated at MHH has been overseen for many years by Prof. Dr. Jens Gottlieb and his team; nationwide in Germany, the number is about 2,500 patients.

The guideline proposes a concrete follow-up plan for adults—ranging from close monitoring in the first weeks after transplantation to long-term annual check-ups. It provides recommendations on diagnostic procedures, infection prophylaxis, immunosuppression, screening for comorbidities, and strategies to prevent rejection. Approximately half of the recommendations are evidence-based (derived from randomized controlled trials), while the other half are based on broad expert consensus. For a rare and highly specialized field such as lung transplantation, the guideline thus establishes uniform standards for the first time, with the potential to significantly improve both quality of care and comparability between transplant centers.

“Having an S3 guideline for follow-up care after lung transplantation is a real breakthrough for patient care,” says Prof. Jens Gottlieb. “We benefit enormously from a shared, scientifically sound framework that enables us to support patients more effectively over the long term. For such a demanding field and a rare procedure like lung transplantation, this represents a decisive step forward.”

The guideline also underscores the importance of translational collaboration between research and clinical practice. The close integration of fundamental disease biology, clinical expertise, and health services research has been a core objective of the German Center for Lung Research from the outset. The fact that this expertise has now been incorporated into a national guideline highlights the strong contribution of DZL centers to the further development of therapy and follow-up care for lung transplant recipients.

With the new S3 guideline, the participating physicians hope to sustainably improve the long-term outcomes of lung transplantation.

Find the guideline here.

Source: BREATH