Angiographic underestimation of coronary artery disease in a cardiac transplant donor.
There has been a great deal of attention given to the development of post-transplant arteriopathy in the cardiac transplant patient. Preexisting donor heart disease may be of equal importance in the development of allograft failure due to ischemia. The case of a 64-year-old female who received the heart of a 52-year-old female is reported. Death of the recipient occurred due to intraoperative complications. Despite normal pretransplant coronary angiography, autopsy found severe atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in the donor heart. This case report illustrates some of the limitations of angiography in the detection of coronary artery lesions in donor hearts.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ottawa Civic Hospital, Ontario.
J P
JP
Veinot
R A
RA
Davies
R G
RG
Masters
V M
VM
Walley
D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D014019:Tissue Donors