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

Textbook Outcomes in Solid Transplantation: A Systematic Review

Background

The concept of TO is expanding across various surgical disciplines to establish a standardized, comprehensive quality benchmark. Traditional metrics such as 1-y patient and graft survival have been key for evaluating transplant program performance but are now deemed inadequate because of significant field advancements. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the applicability and validity of textbook outcome (TO) in the setting of solid organ transplantation.

Methods

A structured search, adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, was conducted across PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases on March 10, 2024.

Results

Fourteen articles were identified for inclusion in this review. Of these, 2 studies addressed TO in heart transplantation, 3 in lung transplantation, 2 in kidney transplantation, and 7 in liver transplantation. A subgroup analysis was conducted to categorize the different definitions of TOs and identify the most common reasons for TO failure.

Conclusions

Our systematic review highlights the ongoing efforts in the field of solid organ transplantation to define TO and emphasizes the importance of developing a universally recognized set of TO criteria for each type of transplant. TO provides a valuable framework for transplant centers to benchmark their performance against similar institutions on a risk-adjusted basis and to pinpoint specific areas for enhancing patient outcomes. Even the most successful programs may discover aspects within the composite outcome with scope for improvement.

The Utility of the Vasoactive-Inotropic Score and Its Nomogram in Guiding Postoperative Management in Heart Transplant Recipients

Background

In the early postoperative stage after heart transplantation, there is a lack of predictive tools to guide postoperative management. Whether the vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) can aid this prediction is not well illustrated.

Methods

In total, 325 adult patients who underwent heart transplantation at our center between January 2015 and December 2018 were included. The maximum VIS (VISmax) within 24 h postoperatively was calculated. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. A logistic regression model was established to determine independent risk factors and to develop a nomogram for a composite severe adverse outcome combining early mortality and morbidity.

Results

VISmax was significantly associated with extensive early outcomes such as early death, renal injury, cardiac reoperation and mechanical circulatory support in a grade-dependent manner, and also predicted 90-day and 1-year survival (p < 0.05). A VIS-based nomogram for the severe adverse outcome was developed that included VISmax, preoperative advanced heart failure treatment, hemoglobin and serum creatinine. The nomogram was well calibrated (Hosmer-Lemeshow p = 0.424) with moderate to strong discrimination (C-index = 0.745) and good clinical utility.

Conclusion

VISmax is a valuable prognostic index in heart transplantation. In the early post-transplant stage, this VIS-based nomogram can easily aid intensive care clinicians in inferring recipient status and guiding postoperative management.

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.

RESULTS

Among 1,061 US adult heart transplants performed between October 2015 and December 2022, controlled hypothermic preservation was associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of severe PGD compared to ice (6.6% [37/559] vs 10.4% [47/452], p = 0.039). Following propensity matching, severe PGD was reduced by 50% (6.0% [17/281] vs 12.1% [34/281], respectively; p = 0.018). The Kaplan-Meier terminal probability of 1-year mortality was 4.2% for recipients without PGD, 7.2% for mild or moderate PGD, and 32.1%, for severe PGD (p < 0.001). The probability of severe PGD increased for both cohorts with longer ischemic time, but donor hearts stored on ice were more likely to develop severe PGD at all ischemic times compared to controlled hypothermic preservation.

CONCLUSIONS

Severe PGD is the deadliest complication of heart transplantation and is associated with a 7.8-fold increase in probability of 1-year mortality. Controlled hypothermic preservation significantly attenuates the risk of severe PGD and is a simple yet highly effective tool for mitigating post-transplant morbidity.

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. The Paragonix SherpaPak Cardiac Transport System (SCTS) is a controlled hypothermic technology clinically used since 2018. Real-world evidence on clinical benefits of SCTS compared to conventional ice cold storage (ICS) was evaluated. Between October 2015 and January 2022, 569 US adults receiving donor hearts preserved and transported either in SCTS (n = 255) or ICS (n = 314) were analyzed from the Global Utilization And Registry Database for Improved heArt preservatioN (GUARDIAN-Heart) registry. Propensity matching and a subgroup analysis of >240 minutes ischemic time were performed to evaluate comparative outcomes. Overall, the SCTS cohort had significantly lower rates of severe primary graft dysfunction (PGD) ( p = 0.03). When propensity matched, SCTS had improving 1-year survival ( p = 0.10), significantly lower rates of severe PGD ( p = 0.011), and lower overall post-transplant MCS utilization ( p = 0.098). For patients with ischemic times >4 hours, the SCTS cohort had reduced post-transplant MCS utilization ( p = 0.01), reduced incidence of severe PGD ( p = 0.005), and improved 30-day survival ( p = 0.02). A multivariate analysis of independent risk factors revealed that compared to SCTS, use of ice results in a 3.4-fold greater chance of severe PGD ( p = 0.014). Utilization of SCTS is associated with a trend toward increased post-transplant survival and significantly lower severe PGD and MCS utilization. These findings fundamentally challenge the decades-long status quo of transporting donor hearts using ice.

The Year in Cardiothoracic Transplant Anesthesia: Selected Highlights From 2021 Part II: Cardiac Transplantation

This article spotlights the research highlights of this year that specifically pertain to the specialty of anesthesia for heart transplantation. This includes the research on recent developments in the selection and optimization of donors and recipients, including the use of donation after cardiorespiratory death and extended criteria donors, the use of mechanical circulatory support and nonmechanical circulatory support as bridges to transplantation, the effect of COVID-19 on heart transplantation candidates and recipients, and new advances in the perioperative management of these patients, including the use of echocardiography and postoperative outcomes, focusing on renal and cerebral outcomes.

Textbook outcomes in heart transplantation: A quality metric for the modern era

BACKGROUND

Traditional quality metrics like one-year survival do not fully encapsulate the multifaceted nature of solid organ transplantation in contemporary practice. Therefore, investigators have proposed using a more comprehensive measure, the textbook outcome. However, the textbook outcome remains ill-defined in the setting of heart transplantation.

METHODS

Within the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database, the textbook outcome was defined as having: (1) No postoperative stroke, pacemaker insertion, or dialysis, (2) no extracorporeal membrane oxygenation requirement within 72 hours of transplantation, (3) index length of stay <21 days, (4) no acute rejection or primary graft dysfunction, (5) no readmission for rejection or infection, or re-transplantation within one year, and (6) an ejection fraction >50% at one year.

RESULTS

Of 26,885 heart transplantation recipients between 2011 to 2022, 9,841 (37%) achieved a textbook outcome. Following adjustment, textbook outcome patients demonstrated significantly reduced hazard of mortality at 5- (hazard ratio 0.71, 95% CI 0.65-0.78; P < .001) and 10-years (hazard ratio 0.73, CI 0.68-0.79; P < .001), and significantly greater likelihood of graft survival at 5- (hazard ratio 0.69, CI 0.63-0.75; P < .001) and 10-years (hazard ratio 0.72, CI 0.67-0.77; P < .001). Following estimation of random effects, hospital-specific, risk-adjusted rates of textbook outcome ranged from 39% to 91%, compared to a range of 97% to 99% for one-year patient survival. Multi-level modeling of post-transplantation rates of textbook outcomes revealed that 9% of the variation between transplant programs was attributable to inter-hospital differences.

CONCLUSION

Textbook outcomes offer a nuanced, composite alternative to using one-year survival when evaluating heart transplantation outcomes and comparing transplant program performance.