A Guide to Lung Transplantation
Why Are Lung Transplants Needed?
What Lungs Do When They Are Healthy
Every cell in your body requires oxygen to do its job. When a cell uses oxygen, it produces carbon dioxide, which then has to be quickly removed. Your lungs have the all-important job of providing the oxygen your body needs and expelling the carbon dioxide. The lungs do their job when you breathe—oxygen IN, carbon dioxide OUT. Your blood carries oxygen FROM the lung to cells and carries carbon dioxide TO the lungs for disposal when you exhale. Your heart is the pump that propels blood to and from the lungs. When lungs are healthy, you are rarely aware of the automatic process of breathing. The only times you feel “short of breath” is when your lungs have to work harder to supply oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide—for example, when you exercise hard or when oxygen is in short supply at high altitude.
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