Safe pancreas transplantation in patients with coronary artery disease

This study was conducted to determine the risk of clinically significant posttransplant cardiac events (PCEs) in a cohort of diabetic patients referred for pancreas transplantation.

Between April 1991 and December 1995, 316 insulin-dependent diabetics were evaluated for pancreas transplantation. Patients were assessed for risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD), and underwent screening for significant CAD by a standardized algorithm that included selective coronary angiography. For the 3-year period following transplantation, PCEs were identified, and related to pretransplant cardiac risk factors.

Only four patients (1.3%) were turned down for cardiac contraindications. Coronary angiography was done in 74 patients (27% of the active transplant candidates) during the evaluation period because of the patient's history or a positive stress test. Significant coronary artery stenoses were found in 54% of the patients catheterized. Twenty-five of these 40 patients (63%) underwent revascularization with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and/or coronary artery bypass grafting. A total of 359 organs were subsequently transplanted into 194 of these patients. No deaths occurred within 30 days of any of the transplants; four percent of transplant recipients died of cardiac causes within the follow-up period (median 23 months). Those with no pretransplant evidence of CAD had significantly lower rates of PCE (2% and 8% at 1 and 3 years, respectively) than those with pretransplant evidence of CAD (11% and 29% at 1 and 3 years, P<0.01; relative risk, 4.3).

Routine cardiac screening of pancreas recipients with selective angiography and revascularization allows patients with significant CAD to safely undergo pancreas transplantation. Patients should rarely be excluded from pancreas transplantation for cardiac causes.