Heart transplantation at the Peruvian National Heart Institute:
One-decade single-center experience
Abstract
Background: Heart transplantations are ideal for most
patients with end-stage heart failure refractory to medical treatment.
The transplantation program at the Peruvian National Heart Institute
started with a 10-year-continuity in 2010. Objective: To
report the results of a 10-year heart transplantation experience at the
Peruvian National Heart Institute. Methods: We studied
83 patients who underwent orthotopic heart transplantation at a single
center between January 2010 and December 2019. The recipients’ profiles
and survival were analyzed according to sex and age group, ensuring the
information’s confidentiality. Results: The recipients’
mean age was 41.2 ± 17 years, 88% were adult, and 68.7% were male. The
main indications for transplantation were idiopathic dilated
cardiomyopathy. 85.5% of recipients were clinically categorized as
INTERMACS Profile 1 to 3 before transplantation. There was a significant
difference between sexes regarding the preoperative left ventricular
ejection fraction and between age groups regarding the waiting time. The
average ischemia time was 3.1 hours, operating time was 6.1 hours,
cardiopulmonary bypass time was 3 hours, and aortic cross-clamp time was
1.7 hours. The principal early postoperative complications were
hematological disorders and acute kidney failure. The principal late
ones were kidney failure and severe anemia. The postoperative mortality
was 15.9%, and the principal causes were infection and then acute
rejection. The survival at one, five, and ten years was 87.5%, 79.8%,
and 79.8%, respectively. The survival results were not influenced by
sex or age group. Conclusion: Our patients’
postoperative complications, mortality, and survival rates coincided
with those reported by the ISHLT registry.