Publicaciones científicas

Results of heart retransplantation: subanalysis of the Spanish Heart Transplant Registry

01-ene-2022 | Revista: Revista Española de Cardiología

Nahikari Salterain-González  1 , Gregorio Rábago Juan-Aracil  2 , Manuel Gómez-Bueno  3 , Luis Almenar-Bonet  4 , María Generosa Crespo-Leiro  5 , José María Arizón Del Prado  6 , María Dolores García-Cosío  7 , Manuel Martínez-Sellés  8 , Sonia Mirabet-Pérez  9 , José Manuel Sobrino-Márquez  10 , José González-Costello  11 , Félix Pérez-Villa  12 , Beatriz Díaz-Molina  13 , Luis de la Fuente-Galán  14 , Teresa Blasco-Peiró  15 , Iris P Garrido-Bravo  16 , Luis García-Guereta Silva  17 , Nuria Gil-Villanueva  18 , Ferrán Gran  19 , Francisco González-Vilchez  20


Introduction and objectives: Heart retransplantation (ReHT) is controversial in the current era. The aim of this study was to describe and analyze the results of ReHT in Spain.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis from the Spanish Heart Transplant Registry from 1984 to 2018. Data were collected on donors, recipients, surgical procedure characteristics, immunosuppression, and survival. The main outcome was posttransplant all-cause mortality or need for ReHT. We studied differences in survival according to indication for ReHT, the time interval between transplants and era of ReHT.

Results: A total of 7592 heart transplants (HT) and 173 (2.3%) ReHT were studied (median age, 52.0 and 55.0 years, respectively). Cardiac allograft vasculopathy was the most frequent indication for ReHT (42.2%) and 59 patients (80.8%) received ReHT >5 years after the initial transplant.

Acute rejection and primary graft failure decreased as indications over the study period. Renal dysfunction, hypertension, need for mechanical ventilation or intra-aortic balloon pump and longer cold ischemia time were more frequent in ReHT.

Median follow-up for ReHT was 5.8 years. ReHT had worse survival than HT (weighted HR, 1.43; 95%CI, 1.17-1.44; P<.001). The indication of acute rejection (HR, 2.49; 95%CI, 1.45-4.27; P<.001) was related to the worst outcome. ReHT beyond 5 years after initial HT portended similar results as primary HT (weighted HR, 1.14; 95%CI, 0.86-1.50; P<.001).

Conclusions: ReHT was associated with higher mortality than HT, especially when indicated for acute rejection. ReHT beyond 5 years had a similar prognosis to primary HT.

CITA DEL ARTÍCULO  Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed). 2022 Jan;75(1):60-66.  doi: 10.1016/j.rec.2021.06.009. Epub 2021 Jul 10.