Vasoplegic syndrome during heart transplantation: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Vasoplegic syndrome (VS) is a common occurrence during heart transplantation (HT). It currently lacks a uniform definition between transplant centers, and its pathophysiology and treatment remain enigmatic. This systematic review summarizes the available published clinical data regarding VS during HT.

We searched databases for all published reports on VS during HT. Data collected included the incidence of VS in the HT population, patient and intraoperative characteristics, and postoperative outcomes.

Twenty-two publications were included in this review. The prevalence of VS during HT was 28.72% (95% confidence interval: 27.37%, 30.10%). Factors associated with VS included male sex, higher body mass index, hypothyroidism, pre-HT left ventricular assist device or venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO), pre-HT calcium channel blocker or amiodarone usage, longer cardiopulmonary bypass time, and higher blood product transfusion requirement. Patients who developed VS were more likely to require postoperative VA-ECMO support, renal replacement therapy, reoperation for bleeding, longer mechanical ventilation, and a greater 30-day and 1-year mortality.

The results of our systematic review are an initial step for providing clinicians with data that can help identify high-risk patients and avenues for potential risk mitigation. Establishing guidelines that officially define VS will aid in the precise diagnosis of these patients during HT and guide treatment. Future studies of treatment strategies for refractory VS are needed in this high-risk patient population.