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Cardiomyopathy and heart transplantation in children
1Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston 77030, USA. jtowbin@bcm.tmc.edu
Insights
Cardiac transplantation is a key treatment for severe heart failure when other options fail. This review covers current reasons for and results of heart transplants in cardiomyopathy patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Transplantation Medicine
- Cardiovascular Surgery
Background:
- Cardiac transplantation is a standard therapy for end-stage heart failure.
- It is indicated when poor cardiac output persists despite maximal medical management and other surgical options are unsuitable.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current indications for heart transplantation in patients with cardiomyopathy.
- To discuss the outcomes of cardiac transplantation in this patient population.
Main Methods:
- This is a review article.
- It synthesizes current literature on heart transplantation for cardiomyopathy.
Main Results:
- Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most frequent indication for cardiac transplantation.
- Other cardiomyopathies, including restrictive, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with poor function, may also necessitate transplantation.
Conclusions:
- Heart transplantation is a viable option for select patients with various forms of cardiomyopathy.
- Understanding indications and outcomes is crucial for patient selection and management.
Abstract:
Cardiac transplantation has become a standard therapeutic option for certain disorders in which poor cardiac output without other surgical options exists in the face of maximized medical therapy. The most common disorder requiring transplantation is dilated cardiomyopathy, although other forms of cardiomyopathy (ie, restrictive cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with poor ventricular function) may require transplantation as well. In this review, the current indications and outcomes of heart transplantation in patients with cardiomyopathy are discussed.