ABO Incompatibility

Blood group A2 to blood group O kidney and liver transplants have been shown to be safe and successful, especially in recipients with low pre-operative anti-A antibody titers and with the use of peri-operative antibody-depleting therapies. Since blood group O lung transplant candidates tend to have longer wait times and a higher waitlist mortality compared to other blood groups, we propose to conduct a prospective study of lung transplantation from blood group A2 donors to eligible blood group O recipients in an effort to increase the available donor pool. The aim of this study is to determine both the feasibility and safety of this specific type of ABO-incompatible lung transplant, and the impact of this practice on reducing transplant wait times among blood group O lung transplant candidates. This would represent the first prospective study of ABO-incompatible lung transplants worldwide.