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(04/24/2025) Durham VA and Duke University researchers demonstrated problems with the equation used to determine which patients with lung disease become candidates for a lung transplant. Patients with lung disease receive a spirometry test to assess the strength of their lungs. According to the United Network of Organ Sharing, both VA and Community Care facilities currently use a race-specific equation to calculate overall lung strength. The results of that test help determine placement on lung transplant waitlists. The researchers studied more than 17,000 adults with lung disease from 2005 to 2023, comparing lung strength measurements of different racial groups. They discovered White patients had greater odds of meeting guideline criteria for placement on the transplant waitlist, while Black patients had lower odds. The use of race-specific equations tended to underestimate the severity of lung restriction in non-White candidates, possibly keeping them off transplant lists. The researchers call for using a race-neutral equation to determine candidates for lung transplants. (JHLT Open, May 2025)