Results with expanded donor acceptance criteria in heart transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: Over the past years both donor and recipient profiles have changed in heart transplantation. Satisfactory clinical outcomes of marginal donors in candidates >60 years of age have led us to allocate suboptimal donors to younger recipients as well. Therefore, we retrospectively reviewed our experience. METHODS: Among 199 patients undergoing heart transplantation from January 2000 to February 2010, there were 83 (41%) aged 61-72 years. The other 116 (59%) ranged in age between 18 and 60 years. According to their clinical conditions as heart transplantation candidates, They were classified into 4 groups: younger recipients (n=116) of either optimal donors (n=72; group 1 [G1]) or marginal donors (n=44; group 2 [G2]) and older recipients (n=83) of either marginal grafts (n=70, group 3 [G3]) or optimal grafts (n=13; group 4 [G4]). The gender distribution, cause of end-stage heart failure, preoperative pulmonary hypertension incidence, pretransplantation clinical status, and mean follow-up were not significantly different among the 4 groups. RESULTS: Overall 30-day survival was 90 ± 1% and 10-year rate was 78 ± 9%. Among the groups, 30-day and 10-year actuarial survival rates were, respectively: 94 ± 4% and 87 ± 1% for G1; 86 ± 5% and 84 ± 7% for G2; 88 ± 4% and 71 ± 7% for G3 and were 100% and 82 ± 7% for G4 (P=.7). In comparison among the 4 groups, there was no significant difference regarding freedom from graft failure (P=.3), right ventricular failure (P=.3), acute rejection episodes (P = .2), chronic rejection (P=.2), neoplasia (P=.5), or chronic renal failure (P=.1). Older recipients of marginal donors [G3] had a 4% (n=3) prevalence of permanent pacemaker implant, versus G2: 3% (n=2) among (P=.1). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that extended donor and recipient criteria do not compromise clinical outcomes after transplantation.

Antithymocyte globulin induction therapy in heart transplantation: prospective randomized study of high vs standard dosage.

BACKGROUND: In cardiac transplantation, high-dose antithymocyte globulin (ATG) induction therapy as short-term rejection prophylaxis has not been used. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intraoperative use of single high-dose ATG induction therapy after heart transplantation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fourteen patients received single high-dose ATG therapy plus shortened standard therapy (group1), and 16 patients received ATG standard therapy (group2). RESULTS: No perioperative deaths were reported. During follow-up, 3 deaths were recorded. Five-year patient survival was 92.8% in groupl vs 85.7% in group2 (P = .34). The mean (SD) number of acute rejection episodes per patient was 2.5 (2.2) in the high-dose ATG group vs 2.7 (2.5) in the standard therapy group (P = .83), with 5-year freedom from acute rejection of 45.5% in group 1 vs 35.6% in group 2 (P = .85). Infections were observed in 6 patients in group1 and in 8 patients in group2 (P = .69). Malignant disease was diagnosed in 1 patient in the high-dose group and 3 patients in the standard therapy group (P = .35). Chronic allograft vasculopathy was recognized in 4 patients (28%) in group1 and 8 (50%) in group2 (P = .05). Five-year actuarial freedom from allograft vasculopathy was 69.2% in the high-dose ATG group vs 50.0%% in the standard therapy group (P = .35). CONCLUSIONS: High-dose ATG for prevention of rejection episodes is safe and efficacious, with a lower rate of early and late complications, in particular, graft vasculopathy.

Emergency use of wearable left ventricular assist devices in patients not eligible for heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND: We reviewed our experience concerning the clinical outcomes of emergency implantation of left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) in patients not eligible for heart transplantation (HTX). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1998 and September 2006, 62 patients were referred for emergency HTX including 35 (55%) who received cardiac allografts; 9 (14%) died on the waiting list. The other 18 subjects (31%) did not meet listing criteria due to pulmonary hypertension with massive transpulmonary gradients (TPG), severe diabetes, or another factor; 7 patients had wearable LVAD implants and the remaining 11 who had contraindications both to HTX and to LVAD implantation remained on medical therapy. RESULTS: Twelve month actuarial survivals were 47% in LVAD G1 vs 1% in medical therapy G2 (P< .005). Four G1 patients died either due to cerebrovascular vascular episodes or to thromboembolic events. The beneficial use of LVAD in 3 patients led to consistent improvement in hemodynamic performance allowing listing for HTX. Two of them have been successfully transplanted; 1 is still waiting. Due to refractory heart failure, 90% of G2 died within the first months after evaluation. CONCLUSION: Our limited experience indicated that emergency use of LVAD ensued a satisfactory outcome allowing better actuarial survival.

Heart transplantation in older candidates.

UNLABELLED: Over the last few years significant changes have occurred in both donor and recipient profiles for heart transplantation (HTX). New therapeutic approaches to chronic heart failure have created a novel class of patients aged between 61 and 70 years. Although they are older than the conventional upper limit, they may undergo HTX using marginal donors. We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of suboptimal donor implants in older recipients to examine negative prognostic factor. METHODS: Among 272 patients who underwent HTX at our institution from May 1994 to December 2005, 75 (26.5%) were 61 to 72 years (group 1). The remaining 197 (73.5%) denoted as group 2 ranged in age from 18 to 60 years. The Sex distribution, cause of end-stage heart failure, preoperative pulmonary hypertension, pre-HTX clinical status and mean follow-up did not show any significant difference between the two groups. However, group 1 patients had their organs retrieved from marginal donors (89%) vs group 2 (29%; P < .005). They were deceased mainly due to cerebrovascular events, (namely, 82% vs 27%, respectively, P < .005). RESULTS: All analyzed variables-actuarial survival, perioperative mortality, 12-month acute rejection freedom, 100-month chronic rejection freedom, infection freedom, neoplasia freedom, chronic renal failure freedom-did not show any significant difference. CONCLUSION: Advances in chronic heart failure medical therapy have generated a new class of HTX candidates aged between 61 and 70 years who benefitted from transplantation of organs retrieved from suboptimal donors.

Blood versus crystalloid cardioplegia for myocardial protection of donor hearts during transplantation: A prospective, randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and efficacy of myocardial protection of the donor heart during transplantation with the use of blood cardioplegia, a prospective randomized clinical trial was undertaken between January 1997 and March 1998. METHODS: Forty-seven consecutive patients were assigned either to crystalloid (27 patients; group 1) or blood cardioplegia (20 patients; group 2). Comparison of recipient age (54 +/- 11 years vs 55 +/- 7 years; P =. 9), sex (89% vs 90% male patients; P =.9), diagnosis (63% vs 65% dilated cardiomyopathy; P =.8), elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (30% vs 30%; P =.9), prior cardiac operations (22% vs 30%; P =.5), need for urgent heart transplantation (7% vs 20%; P =. 2), donor age (32 +/- 11 years vs 31 +/- 13 years; P =.7), cause of death (33% vs 40% vascular; P =.5), and global myocardial ischemia (176 +/- 51 minutes vs 180 +/- 58 minutes; P =.5) showed no difference. Hemodynamically unstable donors (15% vs 45%; P =.02) were more prevalent in group 2. RESULTS: Operative mortality rates (4% vs 5%; P =.8), high-dose inotropic support (41% vs 30%; P = 0.6), and postoperative mechanical assistance (11% vs 10%; P = 0.9) were comparable in the 2 groups. Prevalence of acute right heart failure (27% vs 0; P =.02) and of temporary complete atrioventricular block (52% vs 20%; P =.02) were greater in group 1. Spontaneous sinus rhythm recovery was more prevalent in group 2 (11% vs 40%; P =.02). Higher peak creatine kinase (1429 +/- 725 u/L vs 868 +/- 466 u/L; P =.01) and creatine kinase MB (144 +/- 90 u/L vs 102 +/- 59 u/L; P =. 06) levels suggested more severe ischemic injury in group I. CONCLUSION: Use of blood cardioplegia was associated with a lower prevalence of right heart failure, cardiac rhythm dysfunction, and laboratory evidence of ischemia.

Surgical treatment of an aortopulmonary artery fistula complicating a syphilitic aortic aneurysm.

Spontaneous rupture of an aortic aneurysm into the pulmonary artery is unusual and is rarely reported in the literature. The case of a patient with a syphilitic aneurysm of the ascending aorta perforated into the pulmonary artery is presented. In an attempt to define the best surgical treatment for this complication the literature has been comprehensively reviewed.

Application of fresh and cryopreserved homografts harvested from transplant patients for correction of complex congenital heart disease.

In recent years, the use of homograft tissue in cardiac surgery has increased so that supply is limited. Since October 1990, aortic and/or pulmonary valves were collected from 17 transplant recipients at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of the University of Padova Medical School (11 male, 6 female, mean age 43.4 years, range 11 months to 61 years). The indications for transplant were dilated cardiomyopathy in 7, and end-stage ischemic heart disease in the remaining 10 patients. Twelve such valves have been subsequently reimplanted either as fresh or as cryopreserved valved homografts in the repair of different forms of congenital heart disease, by means of different tailoring techniques (7 male, 5 female; mean age 4.8 years [range 1 day to 18 years]; transposition of the great arteries = 5 cases; tetralogy of Fallot = 3 cases; hypoplastic left heart syndrome = 2 cases; double outlet right ventricle = 1 case; truncus arteriosus = 1 case). Overall, early mortality was 25%. None of these deaths could be related to the use of homografts. There have been no instances of valve related complications among nine patients surviving surgery at a mean follow-up of 11 months. All patients having heart explanted should be regarded as potential sources for aortic and pulmonary homografts.

Ball fracture with the 6120-model Starr-Edwards mitral valve prosthesis occurring late after implantation.

The Starr-Edwards (S-E) mitral valve, Model 6120, has been widely used in the last three decades. Fatty infiltration and subsequent damage of the silastic ball, a phenomenon termed ball variance, has been described only in the first generation aortic ball-valve prostheses, used until 1965. A case of partial ball fracture in a 6120-Model S-E mitral valve prosthesis, occurring 27 years after implantation and presenting with thromboembolism and progressive valve dysfunction, is described.

Heterotopic heart transplantation--a means to increase donor availability.

From November 1985 to August 1989, 105 patients underwent heart transplantation at our institution of whom 8 (7%) underwent heterotopic heart transplantation (HHTx). There were 7 males and 1 female with a mean age of 49 +/- 6 years (range, 41-58 years), 7 of whom had ischaemic cardiomyopathy and 1 had dilated cardiomyopathy. The indications for HHTx were gross donor/recipient size mismatch, unreliable donor heart, elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and the need for urgent transplantation or their combination. HHTx was performed as a left ventricular bypass in 6 patients and as biventricular bypass in 2 combined with various surgical procedures on the native heart in 5. There was one perioperative death with a mean follow-up of the survivors of 17 +/- 10 months (range, 6-30 months). Comparison of preoperative and postoperative (1 year) 2-D echocardiographic studies of the native heart showed haemodynamic stability of the latter with no substantial changes in left ventricular ejection fraction and cardiac index, while left ventricular end-diastolic volume tended to increase in 2 patients. In conclusion, preservation of the native heart allows recovery or growth of a graft considered unsuitable for orthotopic transplantation. Our experience confirms that HHTx may still be considered a valuable alternative to orthotopic transplantation in selected patients, thus expanding donor utilization.