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Which Donor and Recipient Risk Factors Matter in Heart Transplantation? Results From a Survey of 53 Centers Across
Sabina P W Guenther1, René Schramm1, Jeffrey J Teuteberg2
1Clinic for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Heart and Diabetes Center North Rhine-Westphalia, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
Insights
Heart transplant donor and recipient selection criteria vary significantly between the US and Eurotransplant. Practices are often more conservative than guidelines, highlighting a need for evidence-based selection to increase donor heart availability.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Transplantation Medicine
- Medical Policy
Background:
- Lack of consensus on acceptable heart transplant (HT) donor and recipient criteria.
- Existing practices for donor and recipient selection require analysis.
- Understanding variations in risk factor assessment is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze how risk factors influence donor and recipient selection in heart transplantation.
- To compare heart transplant selection practices between the US and Eurotransplant (ET) regions.
- To identify variations in the application of donor and recipient criteria.
Main Methods:
- Online survey distributed to adult heart transplant centers in the US and Eurotransplant.
- Centers representing at least 50% of total adult HT volumes were targeted.
- Data collected on thresholds and cutoffs for risk factors influencing donor acceptance and recipient listing.
Main Results:
- Fifty-three centers participated (39 US, 14 ET).
- ET centers more liberally accepted older donors and those with abnormal cardiac findings.
- US centers accepted older recipients and were more likely to list candidates on ECMO support.
Conclusions:
- Distinct differences exist in heart transplant selection practices between the US and ET.
- Practices are generally conservative and may be more cautious than current guidelines.
- Developing evidence-based selection criteria could help address the shortage of donor hearts.
Introduction:
Consensus regarding what defines acceptable heart transplant (HT) donors or recipients is lacking. This survey analyzed how risk factors guide donor and recipient selection, and how practices vary across systems.
Methods:
An online survey was conducted among adult HT centers in the US and Eurotransplant (ET) region. We aimed to represent at least 50% of the total adult HT volumes in both regions. Centers were stratified by their HT volumes. To compensate for non-responders, a safety margin was included, and centers accounting for at least 75% of the total HT volumes were contacted. Centers were queried on relative thresholds and absolute cutoffs for continuous risk factors. For other factors, their influence on donor heart acceptance or the likelihood of listing recipients was assessed.
Results:
Fifty-three centers from five countries participated: 39 US (accounting for 51.0% of the US HT volume), and 14 ET centers (65.0%) from four countries. ET centers more liberally considered advanced age donor hearts (threshold 64.5 [60.0-70.0] vs. 50.0 [50.0-55.0] years, p < 0.001), and hearts with abnormal echocardiography or coronary findings. Diabetes, smoking, and hypertension were rated by a quarter to more than half of US and ET centers as moderately or heavily influencing donor heart acceptance. ET centers more liberally listed candidates with chronic kidney disease (GFR 30.0 [21.5-32.5] vs. 35.0 [30.0-40.0] mL/min/1.73m2, p < 0.001). US centers, conversely, allowed for higher candidate ages (71.5 [70.0-74.0] vs. 68.0 [65.0-70.0] years, p < 0.001), and more likely (76.9%) listed candidates on ECMO support (42.9% of ET centers to less likely list, p = 0.022).
Conclusion:
Selection practices differed distinctly between the US and ET. Further, practices appear to be driven by caution and are more conservative than current guidelines. Strengthening the evidence base to objectify and optimize donor and candidate selection could help alleviate the unmet need for donor hearts.
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