Does amiodarone influence early mortality in heart transplantation?

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Transplantation Medicine
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Amiodarone use prior to heart transplantation is suspected to increase post-transplant complications.
• Concerns exist regarding amiodarone's impact on early mortality and acute graft failure after cardiac allografts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between pre-transplant amiodarone use and early mortality and acute graft failure following heart transplantation.
• To determine if amiodarone is a negative predictor of early outcomes in heart transplant recipients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, descriptive, case-controlled study design.
• Inclusion of 396 consecutive heart transplant patients, with 25 having received amiodarone for ≥30 days pre-transplant.
• Exclusion of retransplantations, pediatric, and combined organ transplantations.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed in early mortality between patients who received amiodarone and those who did not.
• Acute graft failure rates were comparable between the amiodarone and non-amiodarone groups.
• Multivariate analysis identified no variables significantly correlating with early mortality.

Conclusions:

• The study findings do not support amiodarone as a negative predictor of early survival after heart transplantation.
• Pre-transplant amiodarone administration does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of early mortality or acute graft failure.