Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network

Patient brochure

Find information for patients and families to understand and navigate organ donation and transplantation below:

Questions and answers for transplant candidates about:

The lungs

Also called the windpipe, the trachea is the tube that connects your mouth and nose to your lungs. The primary bronchus transports air to and from the lungs. The right lung is larger than the left and contains the upper, middle and lower lobes. The left lung contains two lobes, the upper and lower lobe. The alveoli are tiny air sacs located in the lungs.

Functions of the lung

Lungs are a pair of highly elastic and spongy organs in the chest. They are the main organs involved in breathing. They take in air from the atmosphere and provide a place for oxygen to enter the blood and for carbon dioxide to leave the blood. The lungs are divided into lobes, with three on the right and two on the left.

Lung transplant procedures

Lung transplants may involve two lungs, a single lung or a lobe of a lung. Most of the lung lobe transplants have been performed for patients with cystic fibrosis and have involved the donation of a lung lobe from each of two living donors.

Reasons for lung transplants