Surfactant activity is decreased in patients after lung transplantation

Imapaired graft function in the early postoperative course after lung transplantation may be due to alterations of composition and function of pulmonary surfactant. However, only little is known about the integrity of the surfactant system in the long-term follow-up of lung transplant (LTx) recipients. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate surface activity of pulmonary surfactant in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids of LTx patients in comparison to healthy controls.