Neurologic Complications After Pediatric Heart Transplant: A Single-Center Experience

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Cardiology
• Neurology
• Transplantation Medicine

Background:

• Neurologic complications are a significant concern in pediatric heart transplant recipients, with reported rates ranging from 23.6% to 45%.
• These complications can lead to serious mortality and morbidity.
• Understanding the frequency, timing, causes, and characteristics is vital for improving patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the frequency, time of onset, causes, and clinical characteristics of neurologic complications in pediatric heart transplant recipients.
• To compare clinical features between pediatric heart transplant patients with and without neurologic complications.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of data from 37 pediatric heart transplant recipients (age <18 years) between 2007 and 2017.
• Identification of neurologic complications through medical record review.
• Comparison of clinical features between patients with and without neurologic complications.

Main Results:

• The rate of posttransplant neurologic complications was 27% (10/37).
• Common etiologies included posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (8.1%), stroke (5.4%), and peripheral neuropathy (5.4%).
• No significant differences in clinical features were observed between recipients with and without neurologic complications (P > .05).

Conclusions:

• Neurologic complications are frequent in pediatric heart transplant recipients and can lead to significant adverse outcomes.
• Early detection and prompt treatment of neurologic findings are essential to reduce sequelae.
• This study provides a detailed single-center experience of neurologic complications in this vulnerable population.