Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
A High-Fidelity Porcine Model of Orthotopic Heart Transplantation Following Donation after Circulatory Death
Published on: June 6, 2025
Heart transplantation in a low-organ-donation environment: a single center experience
A Gkouziouta1, S Adamopoulos, A Manginas
1Heart and Lung Transplantation Unit, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Athens, Greece.
Objective:
Heart transplantation is the "gold standard" for treating patients in end-stage heart failure who satisfy strict selection criteria. However, infrequent transplant performance, eg, less than nine per year, may be associated with suboptimal results.
Methods:
We reviewed our 13-year clinical experience (1996-2008) with 73 orthotopic heart transplants performed under strict selection criteria and followed closely thereafter at the only accredited center in Greece, a country with an annual rate of only seven donors per million population.
Results:
Low perioperative (5.47%) and long-term (7.5%) mortality rates were responsible for a 94% survival rate in the first year, 92% at five years, and 70% at ten years-similar to those reported worldwide-along with excellent functional recovery.
Conclusion:
Strict recipient and donor selection criteria, combined with a rigorous multidisciplinary follow-up, yield excellent results despite the existing shortage of available grafts.
