June 6, 2012 — Thomas M. Egan, M.D., of the UNC Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, has received a $100,000 grant from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for his project “Is there NO solution to IRI? Nitric oxide to improve and expand lung transplant.”
The one-year project will explore whether ventilation of lungs after death with nitric oxide reduces ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and results in sustained improvement in function of lungs after transplant.
Dr. Egan, a thoracic surgeon, is exploring whether lungs from non-heart-beating donors (NHBDs) – people who have died of sudden circulatory arrest, away from a hospital – can be used safely for transplant. Using NHBD lungs could increase the number and quality of lungs available for transplant.
Read more about Dr. Egan’s research here.
– Margaret Alford Cloud, UNC Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery