title: ABO-incompatible heart transplantation: a special case for the A2 donor.
abstract: Limited clinical experience concerning heart transplantation across ABO blood group barriers suggests a high incidence of hyperacute rejection and poor patient outcome. Reported is a case of the short-term survival of an ABO-mismatched cardiac graft without evident adverse immunologic effects. A 41-year-old man with blood type O underwent heart transplantation receiving a blood type A2 donor organ. Cyclosporine-based immunosuppression was augmented with daily plasmapheresis and OKT3 therapy. Circulating anti-A antibodies were reduced quickly and held to a very low level with this regimen. The patient remained hemodynamically stable until retransplantation 4 days later. The explanted heart showed no evidence of cellular infiltrate or antibody deposition. Long-term success with the use of type A2 organs in type O recipients has been shown in select series with other types of solid organ transplants. Although this patient underwent retransplantation early, the lack of rejection phenomena gives evidence that the relatively low antigenicity of the A2 subtype may allow planned heart transplantation across this blood group barrier, either as a bridge or on a permanent basis.
authors.affiliation: Oregon Cardiac Transplant Program, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland 97201.
authors.forename: G Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Ott
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Ratkovec
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Hershberger
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Hosenpud
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cobanoglu
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000276:immunology; D000328:Adult; D001787:Blood Group Incompatibility; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D014019:Tissue Donors
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D012709:Serum Albumin; D003165:Complement System Proteins