title: Heterotopic heart transplantation and native heart ventricular arrhythmias.
abstract: Heterotopic heart transplantation has been said to be contraindicated in patients with serious native heart arrhythmias that produce hemodynamic instability. Placement of heterotopic allografts, however, can theoretically act as a biological biventricular assist device to provide hemodynamic support during these unstable rhythms. Further, this operation might beneficially alter the hemodynamic milieu of heart failure such that the arrhythmias are ameliorated. Described is our experience with 4 patients with heart failure receiving heterotopic cardiac allografts, documenting changes in native heart arrhythmia that occurred. These cases demonstrate that heterotopic grafts can adequately sustain hemodynamics during malignant native heart dysrhythmia. We believe native heart ventricular arrhythmias are not a contraindication to heterotopic heart transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kotliar
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Smart
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Sekela
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pacifico
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Noon
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: DeBakey
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014019:Tissue Donors; D016042:Transplantation, Heterotopic