ArticleBMC pulmonary medicine2026
Longitudinal recovery of physical function after lung transplantation: a comparative analysis of ECMO and non-ECMO recipients.
Article in BMC pulmonary medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionLung transplantation (LT) improves survival in patients with end-stage lung disease; however, recovery of physical function after transplantation remains insufficiently characterized, particularly in critically ill recipients bridged with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Understanding longitudinal functional recovery and potential differences between ECMO and non-ECMO recipients is essential for optimizing post-transplant rehabilitation strategies.
methodsWe retrospectively analyzed 84 adult patients who underwent lung or heart-lung transplantation between 2018 and 2023. Physical function was assessed at 6 and 12 months using the 6-minute walk test, gait speed, and strength measures. Changes over time and group differences were evaluated using longitudinal statistical models.
resultsFifty patients (59.5%) required ECMO support. Overall physical function significantly improved from 6 to 12 months, with 93.4% achieving independent ambulation by 12 months. ECMO recipients had a lower proportion of independent ambulation at 6 months compared with non-ECMO recipients. At 12 months, no statistically significant between-group difference was observed in the proportion of patients achieving independent ambulation.
conclusionsLT recipients showed significant improvement in physical function between 6 and 12 months after transplantation. ECMO-bridged recipients had lower independent ambulation rates at 6 months, while no statistically significant between-group difference was observed at 12 months. Further studies incorporating pretransplant and early postoperative assessments are needed to better characterize functional recovery after lung transplantation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.