Related Experiment Videos
[Cardiac transplantation; results after 5 years]
D Loisance1, J P Mazzucotelli, C Benvenuti
1Service de chirurgie thoracique et cardiovasculaire, hôpital Henri-Mondor, Créteil.
Archives Des Maladies Du Coeur Et Des Vaisseaux
|September 1, 1995
Summary
Long-term cardiac transplant survivors report good quality of life but face significant health issues. These include weight gain, hypertension, renal failure, and coronary artery disease, often linked to immunosuppression.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Transplantation Medicine
- Immunology
Background:
- Long-term outcomes after cardiac transplantation are crucial for patient management.
- Assessing quality of life and identifying late complications is essential for improving survival rates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the long-term results and quality of life in patients surviving over five years post-cardiac transplantation.
- To identify prevalent health issues and complications in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 46 patients who survived >5 years after cardiac transplantation (out of 92 total transplants before Jan 1990).
- Data collected by Jan 1995 with a mean follow-up of 82 months.
- Assessment of quality of life, functional status (NYHA class), and incidence of specific complications.
Main Results:
- Satisfactory quality of life reported (mean score 8.4/10).
- 89% of patients were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I or II, with 60% active.
- High incidence of complications: weight gain (31% >10kg), hypertension, severe renal failure (26%), diabetes (13%), osteoarthropathy (33%), cancer (6%), and coronary artery disease (53%).
Conclusions:
- While long-term cardiac transplant recipients experience good quality of life and functional capacity, significant medical complications persist.
- These complications, including chronic allograft vasculopathy and metabolic/renal issues, are likely associated with the underlying immunological conflict and long-term immunosuppressive therapy.
- Further research is needed to mitigate these long-term adverse effects and optimize patient outcomes.