Efficacy and safety of airway stenting to treat anastomotic complications after lung transplant: a cohort study

BACKGROUND: Airway complications affect roughly 15–20% of lung transplant patients. Airway stents are an attractive therapeutic option; however, no experimental or controlled observational data exists to draw firm conclusions regarding airway stent efficacy and safety in this population. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent airway stent placement for post-transplant anastomotic airway complications. The primary outcomes were improvements in FEV1 and reduction in bronchoscopies post-stent. RESULTS: We identified 36 patients who underwent airway stenting between October 2012 and October 2017. A total of 47 airways underwent stent placement. Improvement in FEV1 after stent placement was only observed in patients who ultimately were able to undergo stent removal. Patients who expired prior to stent removal had no immediate FEV1 improvement after stent placement. Among subjects who underwent stent removal, there was a statistically significant reduction in number of bronchoscopies per month after stent removal compared to pre-stent placement. Male gender was the only predictor of FEV1 improvement after stent placement while male gender and dehiscence prior to stent placement predicted increased number of bronchoscopies after stent placement. Mucous plugging and granulation tissue formation were the most common stent related complications. CONCLUSIONS: Only select patients benefit from stent placement for airways stenosis after lung transplant. Complications related to stent placement are common. Patients with airway complications treated with airway stents undergo a high volume of repeat procedures.