How Donor Profile Affects the Outcome of Heart Transplant: A New Score to Predict Primary Graft Failure

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to identify demographic and clinical parameters in donors that could predict the ischaemic time tolerated by the heart transplant in order to increase the number of heart transplantation performed in our centre by expanding the area of graft recruitment. Methods: A single site retrospective study was conducted on 116 heart transplantations performed in our centre between 2013 and 2021. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify interactions between the different donor parameters. Results: Sex, weight, height, total graft ischemic time were the donor parameters independently correlated with primary graft failure (p < 0.1). The logistic regression model included 11 variables, with an AUC of 0.81, this model appears to perform well in the prediction of primary graft failure in the recipient. Conclusions: A predictive score of primary graft failure was created based on identified donors parameters that may help identify grafts with a higher tolerance to ischemia.