New international guidelines set benchmark to improve post-lung transplant care

A research team co-led by Dr. Kieran Halloran, a lung transplant specialist and associate professor at the U of A, has reached a major milestone in transplant medicine. Working alongside the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT), they have established the first global consensus definition for Baseline Lung Allograft Dysfunction (BLAD).

First identified and studied right here at the U of A by Dr. Halloran, BLAD occurs when a lung transplant recipient's new lungs do not reach their expected baseline function after surgery. Having a standardized international definition gives teams worldwide a shared framework to catch complications early, target reversible causes of dysfunction, build clearer treatment plans for long-term patient health, and focus their research priorities.

"Patients with low lung function after their transplant are at an increased risk of dying and a poorer quality of life. We knew this was important, but we lacked a common framework to address it in the clinic and in the research setting.

This document, which reflects the hard work of 17 authors from 9 different countries, helps us to define baseline lung allograft dysfunction (BLAD), why it's important, and where we need to go from a research standpoint.

My hope is it will help clinicians and research teams worldwide find the causes and eventually to prevent it from happening or improve it when it does. At the end of the day, the whole reason we're here is to help our patients live longer and better lives after their transplant, and this is one way we may be able to help them get there."

— Dr. Kieran Halloran

This work is a prime example of how FoMD researchers directly inform global clinical guidelines and improve post-transplant care on an international scale.

Read the full consensus document: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healun.2026.05.034