[Report on a successful orthotopic cardiac transplantation in Germany]

The first successful heart-transplantation carried out in the Department for Cardiovascular Surgery of the University of Munich, Klinikum Grosshadern is reported. The recipient, 32 years old at the time of operation, had sustained a large antero-lateral-septal myocardial infarction in June 1980; thereafter the left ventricular ejection fraction was severely impaired (e.f. = 19%). Yet, the operation was definitely planned some year later, after the patient had survived an embolus to the right lung, an acute left heart failure and a small ulcer of the stomach. The operation was performed on 8-19-1981. The donor was a 23 year old young man, who had met a fatal motorcycle accident 10 days ago. The man was pronounced dead in the afternoon of the preoperative day according to the criterions of the German Society for Surgery by means of a carotid angiogram. Donor and recipient were well matched in regard to blood group, HLA-A2-System and finally cross-match-test. Transplantation was carried out according to the technique of Lower and Shumway. Immediately p.o., immunosuppressive therapy was started using azathioprine, cortisone and antihuman thymocyte globulin. Two acute rejections were noted, the first from p.o. day 6 to 15, the second from p.o. day 22 to 34. The second acute rejection was complicated by a pneumatosis cystoides intestinii, which caused a change of the immunosuppressive therapy to Cyclosporin A. No further complications were registered in the following p.o. course, the patient is discharged since Christmas 1981.