Lung Transplant Waiting List

If you are a candidate for a lung transplant, you will be added to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) lung transplant waiting list. Your UNOS listing marks the next milestone of your journey, during which you will wait for your new lung(s).

While you wait for your new lung(s):

Your pulmonology care team will schedule follow-up appointments based on your personal needs.
You will see your lung transplant surgeon every three months, or more frequently.
You'll have access to ongoing education while awaiting your transplant.

Start Your Transplant Journey

How Do You Get on the Lung Transplant Waiting List?

To be placed on the UNOS lung transplant waiting list, you first need to receive a referral from your physician and select the hospital where you would like to receive your transplant. You can also refer yourself by reaching out to a member of our lung transplant team.

Lung transplant evaluation process

Intake phone call

After a referral is submitted, a member of the transplant team, known as an intake coordinator, will contact you to discuss the next steps. This will include scheduling a time for you to come to the hospital for evaluation.

Your intake coordinator will ask you for basic information, including your health insurance policy number. Your intake coordinator will contact your health insurance company to verify that your transplant evaluation and procedure will be covered.

They may also send a detailed questionnaire for you to complete and bring with you to your evaluation.

Evaluation visit

During your evaluation visit, you will meet with your transplant team. Your team will tell you about the transplant process, answer your questions, and assess your health, psychosocial, and financial needs.

Your evaluation will include:

A detailed review of your medical and surgical history.
A financial readiness assessment to help you understand the costs of a lung transplant, what your health insurance will cover, your portion of the costs, and the types of financial assistance that may be available.
A physical exam to assess your overall health.
A psychosocial assessment, to make sure you have a support system in place and are mentally and emotionally prepared to receive a lung transplant.
Compatibility testing to improve the chances of a successful match and reduce your risk of post-transplant complications.
Presurgical testing to ensure you are healthy enough to have surgery, which may include blood tests, cardiac testing, dental exams, cancer screenings, and imaging tests.

Types of compatibility testing

Compatibility test results will be used to find the best possible lung match for you.

Types of compatibility testing include:

Blood typing — Determines your blood type so you can find a compatible donor or undergo special treatment to reduce your risk of complications.
Cross-matching — Looks for antibodies to your donor, which could cause your body to reject your lung after transplant.
Tissue typing — Looks at specific characteristics of tissue within your body so that it can be matched with potential donor tissue.

What happens after lung transplant evaluation?

After your evaluation is complete, the members of the transplant team will discuss your case and decide if a lung transplant is in your best interest. After the transplant team determines that a lung transplant is the best option, you will be added to the national waiting list.

What disqualifies you from being on the lung transplant list?

You may be disqualified from being on the lung transplant waiting list if you have:

Active infections.
Active substance abuse, such as alcohol and drug use.
Active tobacco use, such as smoking or vaping.
A high risk of surgical complications due to illness or frailty.
An inability to follow post-transplant care instructions and requirements.
A recent history of serious medical conditions, such as cancer.
A severe, untreated psychiatric disorder.
Severe obesity.
Uncontrolled diabetes.

How Long is the Waiting List for a Lung Transplant?

Lung availability is difficult to predict, so wait times for a lung transplant vary.

Factors that could affect your wait time for a lung transplant include:

A shortage of donor lungs.
Blood type and chest size.
Lung allocation score.
Sensitization status (whether there are pre-formed antibodies against a potential donor).

You can learn more about lung allocation and waiting times for transplant recipients from UNOS.

How Is My Placement Status on the Lung Transplant List Determined?

The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) makes the organ allocation rules. Lungs are allocated based on the lung allocation scoring system. Lung transplant candidates ages 12 and older will receive a lung allocation score (LAS) ranging from 0 to 100.

The lung allocation score determines your priority on the waiting list. Factors that contribute to your lung allocation score can be found on this UNOS form.

The higher your lung allocation score, the higher your priority becomes for receiving a donor lung when one is available.

Becoming inactive on the lung transplant waiting list

When a lung becomes available, you must arrive at UPMC within four hours. Please inform your lung transplant coordinator of any travel that will take you outside the four-hour window for lung transplant surgery.

If you must travel, we may place you in an "inactive status" on the lung transplant wait list.

Other reasons we may put you on the inactive list include:

Having certain health problems that might increase the risk of lung transplant surgery.
Needing further testing.

Inactive status will not affect the total amount of time that you have been on the active waiting list.

What to Expect When Waiting for Your Donor Lung(s)

Here are a few things you need to know while you wait for your donor lung(s):

Stay close to the hospital

While you're on the lung transplant waiting list, you may need to relocate to Pittsburgh or arrange for a medical flight so that you can arrive at UPMC within the established timeframe.

When a lung becomes available, you must arrive at UPMC within four hours.

Family House provides an affordable "home away from home" for lung transplant patients and their families. It is not a medical facility.

Learn more about traveling to Pittsburgh for transplant services.

Maintain your health

Maintaining your health as much as possible is vital during the waiting phase.

While you wait for your donor lung(s), the UPMC lung transplant team will:

Offer health advice.
Provide social support.
Answer any questions you may have.

After you are on the waiting list, your lung transplant coordinator will schedule you for follow-up appointments based on your personal needs.

You will need to check in with your transplant coordinator at least every two weeks and come to UPMC at least every three months so the team can assess your condition. It's vital to keep your follow-up appointments.

When your lung allocation score reaches 50 or more, your lung transplant team will need to update your wait list status every two weeks. This can be done via phone.

What to Expect When Your New Lung(s) Are Available

When donor lungs become available and are allocated to you, your transplant coordinator will call you with instructions on what to do next.

While you travel to the hospital, the UPMC lung transplant team will continue to evaluate the donor lungs. If the lungs are a match, you will prepare for surgery when you arrive at the hospital. If the team finds that the organ isn’t right for you, we will send you home and contact you when a new set of lungs becomes available.

After Your Lung Transplant at UPMC

After your lung transplant, you will spend a few days in the transplant intensive care unit before moving to a patient room.

When we discharge you from the hospital, you'll need to stay in Pittsburgh for a period of time to receive:

Follow-up care.
Regular check-ins with your lung transplant team.
Further testing.

After you're strong enough to go home, you will need to return to UPMC for follow-up appointments.

The lung transplant team will remain in contact with you, even after you've returned to your daily routine. We're here for you if you have any side effects, issues, or questions after your transplant.

Mental health and social support

We provide ongoing mental health and social support for people who have had a lung transplant, including access to counseling and support groups.

Why Choose UPMC for Lung Transplant Care?

 When you choose UPMC for lung transplant care, you will receive:

Access to experienced, board-certified specialists — Since the program's inception in 1982, our surgeons have performed more than 2,500 lung and heart-lung transplants, exceeding the number of transplants performed at many other transplant centers.
Outstanding transplant outcomes — We're one of only a few lung transplant centers in the United States that have achieved this high transplant volume while maintaining outcomes that are on par with national averages.
Expert care for complex cases — Our talented team of lung and heart-lung transplant surgeons continues to gain exceptional clinical skills and expertise in the field, allowing them to accept many high-risk patients for both single and double lung transplants that other transplant centers may decline.

By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-12-09.

UNOS.