Disparities in Wait-List Outcomes for Adults With Congenital Heart Disease Listed for Heart Transplantation Before and Since Revision of Status I Listing

Medical and surgical advances in the late 20th century that allowed the majority of children born with congenital heart disease (CHD) to survive have resulted in a shift of the burden of morbidity and mortality into adulthood. Heart failure is the leading cause of death in adults with CHD. This study aimed to address the gap in understanding of outcomes of adults with CHD who have heart failure and are listed for heart transplantation compared with those without CHD. The study analyzed data from the US Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database, categorized by the listing era (on/before or after January 19, 1999). The primary combined outcome was death while waiting for an organ or delisting due to worsening clinical condition. Overall, there was a significant decrease in the probability of the primary outcome in the current compared with the early era for both adults with CHD (13.2% vs 18.6%, p = 0.01) and non-CHD (12.1% vs 15.9%, p