Effect of Duration of Donor Ventilation on Lung Transplant Outcomes.

Background: Duration of donor ventilation (DDV) often impacts willingness to accept lungs for transplantation. We investigated the association of DDV with adverse lung transplant outcomes.

Methods: The United Network for Organ Sharing Stand Transplant Analysis and Research database was retrospectively reviewed.

Detecting and managing arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse.

We describe a case of likely arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse (MVP) resulting in cardiac arrest, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and initiation of extracorporeal membranous oxygenation. The case provides the clinical stimulus to review what knowledge exists, and what data gaps remain, to guide clinicians toward a proactive approach in managing arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse, a rare but potentially fatal condition. Since MVP is rare, performing several imaging modalities on every patient in whom there is a clinical suspicion would have a low yield.

Clinical Outcomes With Normothermic Pulsatile Organ Perfusion in Heart Transplantation: A Report From the OCS Heart Perfusion Registry.

Background: A preservation system, the Organ Care System (OCS; TransMedics) uses normothermic pulsatile perfusion during organ transport for heart transplantation. This system has demonstrated favorable outcomes in hearts recovered from extended-criteria donors after brain death (DBD) and donors after circulatory death (DCD).

Methods: The OCS Heart Perfusion Registry collects data on US heart transplantations using the OCS, static cold storage (SCS), or thoracoabdominal normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) and donor hearts recovered from DBD or DCD donors.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Intermacs 2024 Annual Report: Focus on Outcomes in Younger Patients.

The 15th Annual Report from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support includes 29,634 continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices from the 10-year period between 2014 and 2024. The outcomes reported here demonstrate continued improved survival in the current era of fully magnetically levitated devices, with a significantly higher 1-year (85.7% vs 78.

Extrinsic outflow graft obstruction of the HeartMate 3 LVAD: A state-of-the-art review.

While notable improvements in survival, the incidence of hemocompatibility-related adverse events, hospitalizations, and cost have been demonstrated with the only commercially available durable left ventricular assist device, a category of pump malfunctions characterized by outflow graft obstruction has been noted with broader use and clinical follow-up of recipients of this technology. Of particular concern is the accumulation of acellular biodebris between the outflow graft and bend relief covering the outflow graft at its origin with the pump (which we term extrinsic outflow graft obstruction at the bend relief). This process tends to be insidious, occurs late in the postoperative course, can be challenging to diagnose, and can result in significant morbidity and mortality.

Impact of controlled hypothermic preservation on outcomes following heart transplantation.

Background: Severe primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a major cause of early mortality after heart transplant, but the impact of donor organ preservation conditions on severity of PGD and survival has not been well characterized.

Methods: Data from US adult heart-transplant recipients in the Global Utilization and Registry Database for Improved Heart Preservation-Heart Registry (NCT04141605) were analyzed to quantify PGD severity, mortality, and associated risk factors. The independent contributions of organ preservation method (traditional ice storage vs controlled hypothermic preservation) and ischemic time were analyzed using propensity matching and logistic regression.

Outcomes in Heart Transplant Recipients by Bridge to Transplant Strategy When Using the SherpaPak Cardiac Transport System.

The last several years have seen a rise in use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) to bridge heart transplant recipients. A controlled hypothermic organ preservation system, the SherpaPak Cardiac Transport System (SCTS), was introduced in 2018 and has grown in utilization with reports of improved posttransplant outcomes. The Global Utilization And Registry Database for Improved heArt preservatioN (GUARDIAN)-Heart registry is an international, multicenter registry assessing outcomes after transplant using the SCTS.

Recipient Outcomes With Extended Criteria Donors Using Advanced Heart Preservation: An Analysis of the GUARDIAN-Heart Registry.

Background: The prevalence of end-stage heart failure and patients who could benefit from heart transplantation requires an expansion of the donor pool, relying on the transplant community to continually re-evaluate and expand the use of extended criteria donor organs. Introduction of new technologies such as the Paragonix SherpaPak Cardiac Transport System aids in this shift. We seek to analyze the impact of the SherpaPak system on recipient outcomes who receive extended criteria organs in the GUARDIAN-Heart Registry.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Intermacs 2023 Annual Report: Focus on Magnetically Levitated Devices.

The 14th Annual Report from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (Intermacs) describes outcomes of 27,493 patients with a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) from the past decade (2013-2022). In 2022, 2517 primary LVADs were implanted, of which 2512 (99.8%) were fully magnetically levitated (Mag-Lev) devices.

Early elevated donor-derived cell-free DNA levels in heart transplant recipients following precision-controlled cardiac transport system or ice-cooled organ transport.

Background: Recent innovations in temperature-controlled cardiac transportation allow for static hypothermic preservation of transplant organs during transportation. We assessed differences in donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) using the SherpaPak cardiac transport system (SCTS) and traditional ice transportation.

Methods: Single-organ heart transplant recipients between January 2020 and January 2022 were included if they had dd-cfDNA measures ≤6 weeks post-transplant along with the baseline biopsy at 6 weeks as part of the surveillance protocol and no biopsy-confirmed rejection ≤90 days.

A Paradigm Shift in Heart Preservation: Improved Post-transplant Outcomes in Recipients of Donor Hearts Preserved With the SherpaPak System.

Traditional ice storage has been the historic standard for preserving donor's hearts. However, this approach provides variability in cooling, increasing risks of freezing injury. To date, no preservation technology has been reported to improve survival after transplantation.

HeartMate 3 Explantation Using Felt Plug for Ventriculotomy Occlusion.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) can be utilized for heart failure patients as a bridge to transplant, bridge to destination, or bridge to recovery. Given the lack of a universally accepted consensus for assessing myocardial recovery, techniques and strategies in LVAD explantation also vary. In addition, the incidence of LVAD explantation remains relatively low, and surgical techniques of explantation continue to be areas of interest.

COMPETENCE Trial: The EVAHEART 2 continuous flow left ventricular assist device.

Background: Continuous flow left ventricular assist devices have improved outcomes in patients with end-stage heart failure that require mechanical circulatory support. Current devices have an adverse event profile that has hindered widespread application. The EVAHEART®2 left ventricular assist device (EVA2) has design features such as large blood gaps, lower pump speeds and an inflow cannula that does not protrude into the left ventricle that may mitigate the adverse events currently seen with other continuous flow devices.

Acute Dissection of Epicardial Coronary Arteries Shortly Following Full Term Delivery Resulting in Acute Myocardial Infarction and Leading to Orthotopic Heart Transplantation.

Described herein is a 28-year-old woman who developed acute dissection of the left main, left anterior descending, and left circumflex coronary arteries shortly after delivering a full-term normal infant. The consequence was acute myocardial infarction leading to a severely depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (<10%) and resulting in life-saving orthotopic heart transplantation procedure not previously reported in patients with spontaneous isolated coronary dissection.

Origin of the Right Coronary Artery From the left Sinus of Valsalva in a Donor Heart With Unsuccessful Repair.

Described herein is a 62-year-old man who had orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) because of severe heart failure secondary to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Because of continued symptoms of heart failure, a coronary angiogram was performed 3 years after the OHT and it showed anomalous origin of the right coronary artery (RCA) from the left sinus of Valsalva. As a consequence, an operation was performed to transfer the origin of the RCA to the right sinus of Valsalva.

Laparoscopic repair of large diaphragmatic hernia after left ventricular assist device implantation followed by orthotopic heart transplantation.

In patients with advanced heart failure and deteriorating clinical status, a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) can be used as a bridge to transplantation or as an alternative to transplantation. An uncommon complication of orthotopic heart transplant or LVADs is diaphragmatic hernia during implantation or explantation of the device. We describe a patient with a diaphragmatic hernia with incarcerated colon and small bowel treated previously with a HeartMate 3 LVAD and subsequent transplantation.

Cardiac sarcoidosis diagnosed after orthotopic heart transplantation and clinically mimicking arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

Described herein is a 71-year-old man who underwent orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) for chronic severe heart failure secondary to cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) devoid of non-caseating granulomas but nevertheless characteristic of CS. Clinically, his heart disease had suggested the presence of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

Malignancy-Associated Non-Bacterial Thrombotic Endocarditis Causing Aortic Regurgitation and Leading to Aortic Valve Replacement.

Described herein is a 48-year-old woman with metastatic ovarian cancer who developed aortic regurgitation considered clinically to be the result of infective endocarditis but operative resection of the three aortic valve cusps disclosed the valve lesions to be typical of non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE). Aortic regurgitation as a consequence of NBTE is rare but at least 9 cases have been reported previously.

Long-term outcomes of patients with primary graft dysfunction after cardiac transplantation.

Objectives: The International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) criteria for primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after cardiac transplantation have been shown to stratify patient outcomes up to 1 year after transplantation, but scarce data are available regarding outcomes beyond the 1st year. We sought to characterize survival of patients with PGD following cardiac transplantation beyond the 1st year.

Methods: A retrospective review of consecutive patients undergoing isolated cardiac transplantation at a single centre between 2012 and 2015 was performed.

The utility of boxing for cardiac prehabilitation.

A 56-year-old man with end-stage heart failure performed a 4-week, symptom-limited, progressive inpatient cardiac prehabilitation program while confined to the cardiovascular intensive care unit awaiting heart transplantation. Mobility was limited by an acute gout flare and multiple central venous access lines. He received a tailored prescription of intermittent boxing, supervised hallway ambulation, stair training, and golfing on a putting green on four consecutive weekdays and was encouraged to mobilize with nursing on the remaining days.