Ege University experience in cardiac transplantation

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Transplantation Medicine
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• End-stage heart failure necessitates advanced treatment options.
• Orthotopic heart transplantation is the definitive therapy for end-stage cardiac failure.
• This study presents clinical experience with 140 heart transplantations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical outcomes of orthotopic heart transplantation.
• To assess the feasibility and challenges of heart transplantation.
• To highlight the role of ventricular assist devices in bridging patients to transplantation.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 140 orthotopic heart transplantations performed between February 1998 and September 2010.
• Patient demographics included mean age of 40 ± 13 years, with 77.8% men.
• Primary etiologies were dilated cardiomyopathy (73%) and ischemic cardiomyopathy (27%).

Main Results:

• Early mortality (within 30 days) was 12.8%, primarily due to right ventricular failure (44%) and infection (22%).
• Overall 39% mortality was attributed to infection (29%) and right ventricular failure (20%).
• Sudden death (16%), rejection, graft failure, and malignancy were other causes of mortality.

Conclusions:

• Heart transplantation is the standard for end-stage heart failure but faces donor scarcity.
• Heart transplantation in Turkey is feasible for select patients with irreversible congestive heart failure.
• Ventricular assist devices effectively bridge patients to transplantation, reducing waiting list mortality.