Center-level Utilization of Hepatitis C Virus-positive Donors for Orthotopic Heart Transplantation

For your consideration: Benefits of listing as willing to consider heart offers from donors with hepatitis C

BACKGROUND

Despite excellent outcomes of heart transplants from hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive donors (D+), many candidates are not listed to even consider HCV D+ offers.

METHODS

Using the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, we identified adult (age ≥18 years) heart transplant candidates prevalent on the waitlist between 2018 and March 2023. We compared the likelihood of waitlist mortality or heart transplant by candidate willingness to consider HCV D+ offers using competing risk regression.

RESULTS

We identified 19,415 heart transplant candidates, 68.9% of whom were willing to consider HCV D+ offers. Candidates willing to consider HCV D+ offers had a 37% lower risk of waitlist mortality (subhazard ratio [SHR], 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56-0.70; P < .001) than candidates not willing to consider HCV D+ offers, after adjustment for covariates and center-level clustering. Over the same period, heart transplant candidates willing to consider HCV D+ offers had a 21% higher likelihood of receiving a transplant (SHR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.7-1.26; P < .001). As a result, among candidates willing to consider HCV D+ offers, 74.9% received a transplant and 6.1% died/deteriorated after 3 years, compared to 68.3% and 9.1%, respectively, of candidates not willing to consider HCV D+ offers. Lower waitlist mortality also was observed on subgroup analyses of candidates on temporary and durable mechanical circulatory support.

CONCLUSIONS

Willingness to consider HCV D+ heart offers was associated with a 37% lower risk of waitlist mortality and a 21% higher likelihood of receiving a transplant. We urge providers to encourage candidates to list as being willing to consider offers from donors with hepatitis C to optimize their waitlist outcomes and access to transplantation.

Revolutionizing Donor Heart Procurement: Innovations and Future Directions for Enhanced Transplantation Outcomes

Heart failure persists as a critical public health challenge, with heart transplantation esteemed as the optimal treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure. However, the limited availability of donor hearts presents a major obstacle to meeting patient needs. In recent years, the most groundbreaking progress in heart transplantation has been in donor heart procurement, significantly expanding the donor pool and enhancing clinical outcomes. This review comprehensively examines these advancements, including the resurgence of heart donation after circulatory death and innovative recovery and evaluation technologies such as normothermic machine perfusion and thoraco-abdominal normothermic regional perfusion. Additionally, novel preservation methods, including controlled hypothermic preservation and hypothermic oxygenated perfusion, are evaluated. The review also explores the use of extended-criteria donors, post-cardiopulmonary resuscitation donors, and high-risk donors, all contributing to increased donor availability without compromising outcomes. Future directions, such as xenotransplantation, biomarkers, and artificial intelligence in donor heart evaluation and procurement, are discussed. These innovations promise to address current limitations and optimize donor heart utilization, ultimately enhancing transplantation success. By identifying recent advancements and proposing future research directions, this review aims to provide insights into advancing heart transplantation and improving patient outcomes.

Heart transplantation: advances in expanding the donor pool and xenotransplantation

Approximately 65 million adults globally have heart failure, and the prevalence is expected to increase substantially with ageing populations. Despite advances in pharmacological and device therapy of heart failure, long-term morbidity and mortality remain high. Many patients progress to advanced heart failure and develop persistently severe symptoms. Heart transplantation remains the gold-standard therapy to improve the quality of life, functional status and survival of these patients. However, there is a large imbalance between the supply of organs and the demand for heart transplants. Therefore, expanding the donor pool is essential to reduce mortality while on the waiting list and improve clinical outcomes in this patient population. A shift has occurred to consider the use of organs from donors with hepatitis C virus, HIV or SARS-CoV-2 infection. Other advances in this field have also expanded the donor pool, including opt-out donation policies, organ donation after circulatory death and xenotransplantation. We provide a comprehensive overview of these various novel strategies, provide objective data on their safety and efficacy, and discuss some of the unresolved issues and controversies of each approach.

Hepatitis C and heart transplantation: An update

There are limited data regarding heart transplantation in the setting of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in either recipients or donors, as the practice was infrequent, given concerns of worse post-transplant outcomes. This changed dramatically after the development of highly effective HCV therapies, namely direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Additionally, nucleic acid testing currently in use establishes more precisely the risk of HCV transmission from donors. As a result, chronic HCV infection in itself is no longer a barrier for heart transplant candidates, and the use of HCV-positive organs for HCV-infected and non-infected transplant candidates has increased dramatically. A review of the literature revealed that in the pre-DAA era, HCV seropositive heart transplant patients had a higher mortality than their seronegative counterparts. However, short-term data suggest that the differences in survival have been erased in the DAA era. Heart transplantation from HCV-viremic donors to HCV-uninfected recipients has become increasingly common as the number of deceased donors with HCV viremia has increased over the past years. Preliminary outcome reports are very encouraging, although further data are needed with regard to long-term safety. New information continues to be incorporated to optimize protocols that guide this practice.

Optimal, Early Postoperative Management of Cardiac Transplant and Durable Left Ventricular Assist Recipients

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Summarize developments in the early postoperative care of patients undergoing cardiac transplantation or left ventricular assist device implantation. Provide a practical approach with personal insights to highly complex patients at risk for prolonged hospitalization.

RECENT FINDINGS

Advancements in technology allow for percutaneous mechanical circulatory support of both the right and left ventricles either isolated or combined via subclavian and neck vessels. Since the adult heart allocation system has been changed to reduce waitlist mortality, the use of temporary mechanical circulatory support has increased. This has influenced preoperative optimization by enabling ambulation and majorly changed postoperative strategy. New doors have been opened for a multidisciplinary approach to facilitate rapid weaning of inotropic medications, limitation of sedation, early liberation from mechanical ventilation, and mobilization. Individualized percutaneous mechanical circulatory support offers new possibilities for the early postoperative management of highly complex patients undergoing cardiac transplantation or durable left ventricular assist device implantation.

Evolving Characteristics of Heart Transplantation Donors and Recipients: JACC Focus Seminar

Although the burden of end-stage heart failure continues to increase, the number of available organs for heart transplantation (HT) remains inadequate. The HT community has been challenged to find ways to expand the number of donor hearts available. Recent advances include use of hearts from donors infected with hepatitis C virus as well as other previously underutilized donors, including those with left ventricular dysfunction, of older age, and with a history of cocaine use. Concurrently, emerging trends in HT surgery include donation after circulatory death, ex vivo normothermic heart perfusion, and controlled hypothermic preservation, which may enable procurement of organs from farther distances and prevent early allograft dysfunction. Contemporary HT recipients have also evolved in light of the 2018 revision to the U.S. heart allocation policy. This focus seminar discusses recent trends in donor and recipient phenotypes and management strategies for successful HT, as well as evolving areas and future directions.