Expanding Horizons in Cardiac Transplant: Efficacy and Outcomes of Circulatory and Brain Death Donor Hearts in a Newly Implemented Cardiac Transplant Program with Limited Donor Accessibility and a Literature Review

TL;DR

This study shows that hearts from donors after circulatory death can be as effective as traditional brain death donors in cardiac transplants, even in new programs with limited donor access.

Contribution

Demonstrates comparable outcomes between DCD and DBD donor hearts in a new transplant program with limited donor availability.

Findings

DCD donor hearts showed similar 6- and 12-month survival rates compared to DBD donor hearts.

DCD transplants increased transplantation activity by 150% in the study period.

No primary graft dysfunction was observed in the DCD group.

Abstract

(1) Background: Cardiac donation after circulatory death (DCD) is an emerging paradigm in organ transplantation. However, this technique is recent and has only been implemented by highly experienced centers. This study compares the characteristics and outcomes of thoraco-abdominal normothermic regional perfusion (TANRP) and static cold-storage DCD and traditional donation after brain death (DBD) cardiac transplants (CT) in a newly stablished transplant program with restricted donor availability. (2) Method: We performed a retrospective, single-center study of all adult patients who underwent a CT between November 2019 and December 2023, with a follow-up conducted until August 2024. Data were retrieved from medical records. A review of the current literature on DCD CT was conducted to provide a broader context for our findings. The primary outcome was survival at 6 months after transplantation. (3) Results: During the study period, 76 adults (median age 56 years [IQR: 50–63 years]) underwent CT, and 12 (16%) were DCD donors. DCD donors had a similar age (46 vs. 47 years, p = 0.727), were mostly male (92%), and one patient had left ventricular dysfunction during the intraoperative DCD process. There were no significant differences in recipients’ characteristics. Survival was similar in the DCD group compared to DBD at 6 months (100 vs. 94%) and 12 months post-CT survival (92% vs. 94%), p = 0.82. There was no primary graft dysfunction in the DCD group (9% in DBD, p = 0.581). The median total hospital stay was longer in the DCD group (46 vs. 21 days, p = 0.021). An increase of 150% in transplantation activity due to DCD was estimated. (4) Conclusions: In a new CT program that utilized older donors and included recipients with similar illnesses and comorbidities, comparable outcomes between DCD and DBD hearts were observed. DCD was rapidly incorporated into the transplant activity, demonstrating an expedited learning curve and significantly increasing the availability of donor hearts.

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