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Updated: May 6, 2026
A Pre-Clinical Porcine Model of Orthotopic Heart Transplantation
Published on: April 27, 2019
Abnormal invasive hemodynamics in heart transplant recipients: A single-center, retrospective study
Navin Rajagopalan1, Donna R Dennis2, Julia Akhtarekhavari2
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States. navin_rajagopalan@yahoo.com.
Insights
Abnormal hemodynamics are common after heart transplants, particularly in recipients with high BMI. These findings highlight the need for monitoring hemodynamic parameters post-transplant.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Transplantation Medicine
- Hemodynamics
Background:
- Limited data exists on invasive hemodynamic parameters in heart transplant recipients.
- Understanding post-transplant hemodynamics is crucial for patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the incidence of abnormal hemodynamics at 1 and 3 years post-heart transplant.
- To investigate correlations between hemodynamic parameters and recipient/donor characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 279 heart transplant recipients (2007-2020).
- Right heart catheterization data for hemodynamic assessment at 1 and 3 years.
- Linear regression models to assess influences of recipient and donor variables.
Main Results:
- Abnormal hemodynamics were prevalent at both 1 and 3 years post-transplant.
- Recipient Body Mass Index (BMI) showed the strongest correlation with abnormal hemodynamics.
- Donor age and heart mass difference impacted early hemodynamics but not at 3 years.
Conclusions:
- Abnormal hemodynamics are a common finding in heart transplant recipients.
- High recipient BMI is significantly associated with adverse hemodynamic outcomes.
- Monitoring hemodynamics and considering BMI is important for long-term transplant success.
Background:
Few studies have quantified invasive hemodynamic parameters in post heart transplant recipients.
Aim:
To report the incidence of abnormal hemodynamics in heart transplant recipients at 1-year and 3-year post-transplant and determine if there was any correlation with recipient and donor characteristics.
Methods:
Data from 279 consecutive heart transplant recipients from 2007 through 2020 were analyzed. Clinical variables regarding both recipients and donors as well as hemodynamic variables obtained via right heart catheterization during 1-year and 3-year annual testing were recorded. Simple and multiple linear regression tests were used to determine how recipient and donor variables influenced hemodynamic parameters at 1-year and 3-year.
Results:
Data were available for 260 patients and 224 patients at 1-year and 3-year post-transplant respectively. At 1-year, abnormal hemodynamic parameters were common with 24% patients having right atrial pressure (RAP) > 10 mmHg, 52% with mean pulmonary artery pressure > 20 mmHg, and 12% with pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) > 18 mmHg. Similar abnormalities were noted at 3-year post-transplant. Recipient body mass index (BMI) demonstrated the strongest correlation with all 3 variables at both 1-year and 3-year by multivariate linear regression analysis (P < 0.001 for both). Both donor age and predicted heart mass difference between recipient and donor were significantly linked to RAP and PCWP at 1-year but did not predict any variables at 3-year post-transplant.
Conclusion:
Abnormal hemodynamics are common at 1-year and 3-year post-transplant and are associated with recipients with high BMI.
