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Updated: Jan 30, 2026
Orthotopic Aortic Transplantation: A Rat Model to Study the Development of Chronic Vasculopathy
Published on: December 4, 2010
Elevated Heart Rate Following Heart Transplantation Is Associated With Increased Graft Vasculopathy and Mortality
Max Liebo1, Joshua Newman1, Anjali Joshi1
1Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinios.
Insights
Elevated heart rate (HR) after heart transplantation (HT) is linked to reduced heart function, increased cardiac allograft vasculopathy, and lower survival rates. Further research into HR reduction therapies post-HT is needed.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Transplantation Medicine
- Immunology
Background:
- The impact of elevated heart rate (HR) on outcomes following heart transplantation (HT) remains unclear.
- Predictors of elevated HR and its subsequent effects on patient health require investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors predicting elevated HR after HT.
- To determine the association between elevated HR and patient outcomes post-HT.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 394 patients undergoing HT between 2005 and 2016 at two academic medical centers.
- Patients categorized into two groups based on HR one year post-HT: ≥95 beats/min and <95 beats/min.
- Median follow-up of 6.6 years.
Main Results:
- Higher HR (≥95 bpm) was associated with younger donor age.
- Lower HR (<95 bpm) linked to heavy donor alcohol use and African-American recipients.
- Elevated HR correlated with reduced left ventricular (LV) dimensions, mass, and ejection fraction, and higher E/E' ratio.
- HR ≥95 bpm independently predicted cardiac allograft vasculopathy and increased mortality.
Conclusions:
- A heart rate of ≥95 bpm one year post-HT is associated with diminished LV size and function.
- Elevated HR post-HT increases the risk of cardiac allograft vasculopathy and reduces survival.
- Further studies on medical HR reduction strategies for improving post-HT outcomes are recommended.
Background:
The effect of elevated heart rate (HR) on outcomes after heart transplantation (HT) has not been well established. The aim of this study was to assess predictors of elevated HR following HT and its impact on outcomes.
Methods And Results:
We retrospectively evaluated 394 patients who underwent HT at 2 academic medical centers from 2005 to 2016. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on HR 1 year after HT: HR ≥95 beats/min (n = 162; 41%) and HR <95 beats/min (n = 232; 59%). Median follow-up time was 6.6 (interquartile range [IQR] 2.2-7.5) years. HR ≥95 beats/min 1 year after HT was associated with younger donor age, whereas HR <95 beats/min was associated with heavy donor alcohol use and African-American recipient race. Left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic dimension, mass, and ejection fraction were lower and E/E' higher in the HR ≥95 group at the time of the last follow up. HR ≥95 beats/min at 1 year after HT was independently associated with the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy and increased mortality.
Conclusions:
HR ≥95 beats/min 1 year after HT is associated with a reduction in LV size and function, increased incidence of cardiac allograft vasculopathy, and reduced survival. Studies investigating the effect of medical HR reduction on post-HT outcomes are warranted.
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