Analysis of survival in lung transplantation: simple diagnostic tests in a new "SELeCT" Score used as prognostic tool. Results from a single center cohort study

BACKGROUND: There are few validated scores evaluating outcomes of lung transplanted patients based on donor or recipient characteristic before or at the time of transplantation. METHODS: In our study we evaluated a new, and easy to use, 5-item score on survival of patients who underwent lung transplantation. It was called SELeCT Score and was based on clinical, laboratoristic and radiological findings recorded at each observation. RESULTS: We found higher scores in case of unscheduled observations and an inverse correlation with overall survival rate, even excluding patients who died within 60 days. We identified a threshold of 2 points as significant to predict patients' survival. Fungal and bacterial infections show scores higher than acute rejections and CMV and other viral infections. CONCLUSIONS: SELeCT Score could represent a useful prognostic tool in guiding clinical choices, demonstrating that more compromised patients (routinely evaluated with clinic, laboratory test and radiological images) had a worse outcome, and that it could be important at least as much as the identification of the etiology.