[Surgical success following heart transplantation in relation to preoperative status]

Patients waiting for heart transplantation have in common the acute threat of death with a maximal survival time of one year, but they differ in quality of life within the waiting period for a donor organ. The spectrum of life quality ranges from being able to work up to the day of transplantation to virtual immobility in an intensive care unit, controlled by machines right up to operation. Using the Quality of Life Index (Spitzer) and surgical assessment on a 3-tier scale following rehabilitation as measurements, a random study on 31 patients was conducted to determine whether a significant connection exists between preoperative quality of life and the result of operation. The statistical evaluation (Kendall's Tau-B = 0.7; p = 0.33) did not show any connection at all... Good preoperative quality of life cannot, therefore, be taken as indicator of surgical success in heart transplantation.