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Updated: Apr 30, 2026
A High-Fidelity Porcine Model of Orthotopic Heart Transplantation Following Donation after Circulatory Death
Published on: June 6, 2025
The status of heart transplantation in Taiwan, 2005-2010
1Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Insights
Donor and recipient age significantly impact heart transplant graft survival. Healthcare professionals play a key role in facilitating organ donation consent, optimizing outcomes in heart transplantation.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Transplantation Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Heart transplantation (HT) is a vital treatment for end-stage heart disease.
- Understanding donor and recipient characteristics is essential for efficient organ utilization.
- The Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center (TORSC) provides critical data on organ donation and transplantation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze donor and recipient profiles in heart transplantation.
- To identify factors influencing heart allograft survival.
- To assess the role of healthcare professionals in organ donation consent.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 487 heart transplantations from 2005-2010 using TORSC data.
- Multivariate analysis to identify predictors of graft survival.
- Evaluation of donor demographics, causes of brain death, and recipient characteristics.
Main Results:
- Leading causes of donor brain death were head injury (51.1%) and stroke (30.9%).
- The average recipient age was 46.3 years, with 80.3% being male.
- Both donor and recipient age were significant predictors of graft survival (P < .01).
Conclusions:
- Recipient and donor age are critical determinants of heart allograft survival.
- Healthcare professionals are instrumental in securing consent for organ donation.
- Optimizing organ utilization requires a comprehensive understanding of donor-recipient dynamics.
Abstract:
Heart transplantation (HT) is the standard therapy used to treat end-stage heart disease. Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center (TORSC) is a registry and database of organ donations and transplantations. To understand the profiles of heart donors and recipients is crucial for efficient utilization. Data was provided by the TORSC and 487 HT were performed from 2005 to 2010. The main causes of donor brain death were head injury (n = 243; 51.1%) and cerebrovascular accidents/strokes (n = 147; 30.9%). The mean age of the recipients was 46.3 ± 14.6 years, and 80.3% were men (n = 391). Physicians and nurses were responsible for most organ procurement. In multivariate analysis, considering donor and recipient gender, donor and recipient age, and donor-to-recipient weight ratio as independent variables, factors that were significantly predictive of graft survival were donor age (hazard rate [HR], 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.03; P = .01) and recipient age (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04; P < .01). Our results showed that age is a determinant of allograft survival and healthcare professionals are the primary impetus for obtaining consent for organ donation.
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