Evaluation of Early Allograft Function in Donor HCV-Positive to Recipient HCV-Negative Cardiac Transplantation Managed with Preemptive Direct Acting Antiviral Therapy

Purpose Donor availability has continued to be a major issue limiting the number of cardiac transplantations in the United States. Given this shortage, it is necessary to consider strategies aimed at increasing the donor pool. We sought to evaluate the expanded use of hepatitis C virus (HCV) donor hearts, and characterize early allograft function in HCV-negative patients receiving pre-emptive anti-viral therapy following receipt of an HCV-infected donor heart. Methods Patients who underwent heart transplantation with HCV-positive donors at our institution between November 2017 and October 2018 were studied. Invasive hemodynamic and echocardiographic data were collected from routine scheduled post-transplant procedures. Intensive care unit (ICU) time, time on inotropes and time until discharge were evaluated from the index hospitalization for heart transplantation and compared to data from our center in patients receiving non-HCV hearts between January 2016 and June 2018. Results In total, there have been 23 recipients of donor HCV-positive heart transplants. Cardiac allograft and patient survival has been 100% at a median of 114 (IQR 81-190) days post-transplant. The average time on inotropes was 4.7±3.3 days in recipients of donor HCV-positive heart transplants, average time spent in the ICU was 7.2±4 days in the study group compared with 7.8±7.8 days in patients receiving non-HCV hearts and the average time to discharge was 19 ± 9 days in the study group compared with 21±22 days in patients receiving non-HCV hearts (both p>0.05). Among 80 echocardiograms done on or after post-operative day 2 in recipients of HCV-positive donor hearts, the ejection fraction (EF) was 65±9% with a single value falling below 50% (45%) that normalized 6 days later. One and 8-week hemodynamic values, respectively, were as follows: right atrial pressure of 7±5 and 5±3 mmHg, mean pulmonary arterial pressure of 20±7 and 20±6 mmHg, mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure of 14±6 and 11±5 mmHg, and cardiac index of 2.8±0.8 and 2.9±0.4 L/min/m 2 . Conclusion In this single-center prospective study, patients who received preemptive direct-acting antiviral therapy following receipt of an HCV-positive donor heart demonstrated preserved early allograft function post-transplant.