The use of donor hearts with left ventricular hypertrophy

Abstract Background: We reviewed 37 patients who received donor hearts with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) to determine which factors affected outcomes. Methods Thirty-seven patients underwent orthotopic heart transplantation (1994 through 1998) with donor hearts qualified as having LVH by echocardiography (EC) and/or electrocardiogram (ECG). We performed univariate analysis on 18 donor and recipient risk factors for mortality. We calculated 12-month survival curves using Kaplan-Meier estimates and compared them using the log-rank test. A contemporaneous cohort of 221 patients who received optimal hearts within the same institution served as a control for survival. Results Median follow-up was 18 months (1 to 53). Median recipient age was 58 years (25 to 75), and median donor age was 47 years (12 to 63). Median donor/recipient height and weight ratios were 1.01 (0.9 to 1.19) and 1.16 (0.77 to 2.02), respectively. Two-month survival was 86.4%, and 12-month survival was 73.0%. Survival for the control group was 91.6% at 2 months and 86.9% at 12 months. Clinically inferior survival curves were observed when donors had known hypertension ( n = 17, 95% vs 71% at 2 months, 76% vs 65% at 12 months), ischemia > 180 minutes ( n = 18, 95% vs 72% at 2 months, 78% vs 65% at 12 months), LVH by ECG ( n = 10, 85% vs 80% at 2 months, 77% vs 56% at 12 months), and greater than mild or unknown ECHO grade ( n = 18, 89% vs 72% at 2 months, 84% vs 59% at 12 months, p = 0.11). Conclusions Donor hearts with mild LVH may be used selectively, particularly if there are no ECG criteria and if ischemia time is short. Caution is indicated for donors with documented history of hypertension. Precise measurement of LV wall thickness by EC is needed in all donors to estimate severity and to complement ECG interpretation.