Lung transplants (LTx) are now regarded as an established treatment option for severe end-stage lung diseases. Hannover Medical School (MHH) is one of the world's leading lung transplant centers with more than 120 LTx performed annually. Combining this extensive experience and the use of state-of-the-art technologies, the MHH has an excellent five-year survival rate of 70 percent for patients who have had a lung transplant.

Over a three-year period, the teams of Dr. Igor Tudorache, Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery (HTTG) and Prof. Dr. Jens Gottlieb, Clinic for Respiratory Medicine, together with other BREATH researchers, worked closely with the Romanian Spitalul Clinic Sf. Maria Bucuresti to establish and train an independent lung transplantation team.  This involved intensive training for an interdisciplinary team of surgeons, respiratory physicians, anesthesiologists and nursing staff.

As a result of this cooperation, the first double-sided LTx in Romania was completed in April 2018. The 36-year-old patient had suffered from severe emphysema and recovered well following the successful procedure. "Our clinicians have made an important contribution to improving health care in Romania. We were delighted to receive the very personal letter of thanks from Prof. Copca in Bucharest. This shows us once again how important international cooperation is in our field. ", says Prof. Dr. Axel Haverich, head of HTTG at the MHH and member of the Management Board of BREATH.