Background: The prevalence of coronary artery disease in potential lung transplant recipients has not been extensively studied. Given the limited donor supply, a high degree of sensitivity for detecting occult disease is essential.
Methods: This retrospective study examined both the clinical indications for coronary angiography and the extent of coronary arteriosclerotic disease in 105 consecutive potential lung transplant candidates.
Results: Fifty-one patients (49%) underwent angiography to either exclude asymptomatic atherosclerosis (n = 46) or define the extent of known symptomatic ischemic heart disease (n = 5). The perceived risk of occult disease according to a semiquantitative coronary risk assessment score that included hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, smoking, a family history of coronary artery disease, and electrocardiographic or echocardiographic abnormalities influenced the decision to perform angiography: 4 of 44 patients (9%) with two or fewer risk factors underwent angiography versus 42 of 56 patients (75%) with more than two risk factors (p < or = 0.05). A higher risk factor score also correlated with angiographic evidence of coronary artery disease. In the 46 patients without symptoms who were studied, two hemodynamically significant but unsuspected coronary lesions were identified. Six other patients without symptoms had noncritical (< 50%) lesions. Among the five patients with angina or a prior myocardial infarction, coronary angiography showed either minimal atherosclerosis (n = 2) or non-life threatening anatomy (n = 3). Angiographic findings did not exclude any patient from transplant listing.
Conclusion: Coronary angiography appears most useful in patients without symptoms with multiple coronary risk factors and in a subset of patients who might otherwise be excluded from lung transplantation because of a history of symptomatic cardiovascular disease.