Evaluating Heart Transplant Outcomes Using the SherpaPak Heart Storage System

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Transplantation Surgery
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Donor heart transport is critical for transplant success.
• Hypothermic preservation aims to maintain organ viability.
• The SherpaPak Cardiac Transport System (SCTS) is a newer device for this purpose.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare post-transplant outcomes between the SCTS and traditional cold storage (TCS) methods.
• To evaluate the efficacy of SCTS in maintaining donor heart viability during transport.
• To assess the impact of transport method on primary graft dysfunction, length of stay, and mortality.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 120 heart transplant patients (60 SCTS, 60 TCS) at KUMC (June 2020-June 2023).
• Comparison of baseline characteristics, ischemic times, and post-transplant outcomes including PGD, LOS, mortality, and CAV.
• Multivariate analysis to control for potential confounding factors.

Main Results:

• The SCTS group experienced significantly longer ischemic times (204 min) compared to TCS (177 min; p=0.008).
• No statistically significant differences were observed in primary graft dysfunction (PGD), length of stay (LOS), 1-year all-cause mortality, or 1-year cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) between the groups.
• Multivariate analysis confirmed no significant difference in PGD or LOS between SCTS and TCS.

Conclusions:

• The SCTS is a viable alternative to traditional cold storage for heart transport.
• Despite longer ischemic times associated with SCTS, patient outcomes post-heart transplant remain comparable.
• This suggests SCTS effectively preserves donor hearts for transplantation.