Surprise man recovers from double-lung transplant

A  64-year-old Surprise man is recovering at University Medical Center in Tucson after surgeons  performed the hospital's 100^th double-lung transplant on May 28, hospital officials announced this morning.

The milestone double-lung transplant was performed by Dr. Michael Moulton. Dr. Jack Copeland performed the hospital's first double-lung transplant in 1993. That patient's lungs functioned for more that 10 years.

William M. Moncrieff received two lungs from a deceased organ donor in a six-hour operation after suffering from years of asthma, emphysema and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. He had been hospitalized twice in Phoenix in the past several years after minor respiratory problems turned serious, according to hospital officials.

 "I knew I needed a transplant when my doctors told me I was one cold away from death," he said. "I was living on borrowed time."

He sought out UMC's lung transplantation program, the oldest and most experienced in the state, and was placed on the wait list for an organ in January 2009.

"I got the call at home that there was a potential match, and eight  hours later I was in surgery at UMC for my new lungs," Moncrieff said.

He said he noticed an improvement the moment he awoke from surgery. His first breaths felt cold and fresh after years of breathing oxygen through a nasal cannula.

Moncrieff is looking forward to playing golf and other physical activities that were impossible for him for years.

 "The success of this and the preceding lung transplants at The University of Arizona is ultimately due to a strong team effort, providing exhaustive, comprehensive care for all our transplant recipients before and after transplant," Dr. Moulton said.  "The team of doctors, nurses, transplant coordinators, social workers, psychologists and hospital administrators work cohesively to maximize our patients' successful outcomes."