A Guide to Lung Transplantation

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.

What Happens When Your Lungs Are Not Healthy

When your lungs are not healthy, you may feel "short of breath" and fatigued almost all the time. Unhealthy or damaged lungs are not able to keep the flow and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide moving at the rate your cells need to function efficiently. The cells then send out a signal that tells you to work harder at breathing—much like your body cells send a thirsty-feeling signal that makes you want to drink more when there is a danger of dehydration.

This constant fatigue and struggle to breathe diminishes your quality of life. Your life may even be shortened if your body is unable to get enough oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. If your lungs become so damaged that even extra oxygen and other therapies are inadequate to improve your condition, you may be a candidate for lung transplantation.