Clinical significance of weight difference between donor and recipient in heart transplantation.
A standard and important criterion for donor acceptance is to match the donor's body weight to within 20% of the recipient's body weight. However, to meet the increasing demand of patients who need heart transplantation, frequently a heart that is below the standard criteria for donation is accepted. Of the 200 consecutive patients who underwent heart transplantation at the University of Arizona, 27 patients received a heart from a smaller donor with a weight difference of more than 30% (range 30% to 46%). The early mortality and late survival of these 27 patients were not different when compared with those of the patients who received transplants from donors with a weight difference of less than 30%. The probability of freedom from rejection and infection and postoperative ejection fraction were also similar between the two groups. Therefore, we believe that the widely accepted donor-recipient weight-match criterion of 20% can be safely extended.
Sethi
G K
GK
Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, University of Arizona Heart Center, Tucson 85724.
Lanauze
P
P
Rosado
L J
LJ
Huston
C
C
McCarthy
M S
MS
Butman
S
S
Copeland
J G
JG
D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000209:etiology; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014019:Tissue Donors