Outcomes after cardiac transplantation: a new tertiary centre experience

Abstract

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Our hospital is one of the most remote transplant centres in the world. We evaluated the short- and long-term outcomes after cardiac transplantation at a new Tertiary Centre hospital in Western Australia. Methods A retrospective study of all patients undergoing cardiac transplantation since February 2015 until November 2020 was conducted. De-identified data was collected using hospital medical records and the ANZSCTS database. Primary outcome measure was mortality at any time point and acute rejection. Secondary outcome measures included new renal failure, post-operative blood product use and readmission rate. Results A total of 59 cardiac transplantations were conducted, with the mean age of recipients being 52 (±15) years and the majority being male (64.4%). Ischaemic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy were the most common indications for transplantation, accounting for 71.2% of all transplants. The mean age of donors was 35.29 (±11.11) years with the majority being male (69.5%). There were no mortalities and acute rejection within 3 months of transplant occurred in 16 (27.1%) patients. New renal failure was the most common complication occurring in 16 (27.1%) patients. After multivariate analysis, donor ischaemia time >200minutes was associated with an increased risk of renal failure (OR 1.2, P = 0.044). Conclusions Over a five-year period at a new cardiac transplant centre in one of the most remote locations of the world, we report no mortalities.