Recent changes to the lung allocation scheme in the UK involve changes to organ sharing between the UK and Ireland. The other change which is really more of a clarification, is changes to organ offering for heart patients who also require lungs.

The organ sharing scheme with Europe now explicitly states the EU and Ireland. This does not affect the UK H&I labs much as only organs not placed in the UK are offered for sharing across the EU.

The clarification for heart transplant patients who also need lungs is that if an urgent heart patient also needs lungs, the transplant centre will inform the duty office who will then advice all transplant centres with lung patients above the heart patient in the lung transplant waiting list. The decision on whether or not the heart transplant patient will also get the lungs will then be made by all the involved transplant centres in consultation.

There is minimum direct effect on the H&I laboratory of this change/clarification except perhaps being asked to be involved in the immunological risk assessment of a patient involved in these decisions.