title: Increase in atrial size in long-term survivors of heart transplant.
abstract: Atrial size in recipients of orthotopic heart transplant (OHTX) who have long-term survival is not well described in the literature. We reviewed 2-dimensional echocardiograms of 14 recipients of OHTX who survived at least 5 years. Apical 4-chamber images were used for measurements starting at 1-year post-OHTX. The recipients of OHTX were 8 (57%) men and 6 (43%) women with a mean age of 43.6 +/- 12.1 (20-60) years and mean survival of 9.5 +/- 2.6 (5.8-14.4) years. All chambers increased with time post-OHTX (r > 0.83, P <.002). The changes in left atrium (LA) and right atrium (RA), remnants of donor LA and RA, and remnants of recipients' LA areas correlated inversely with patient survival post-OHTX (r > 0.83, P <.002). The change in RA recipient remnant area did not correlate with survival (r = 0.58, P =.06). In recipients of OHTX with long-term survival, there is a significant correlation between the echocardiographic size of LA and RA, and donor and recipient remnants with time and survival.
authors.affiliation: Heart Transplant/Heart Failure Program, Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL 60153-5590, USA. steinargud@yahoo.com
authors.forename: G Steinar
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Gudmundsson
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Smull
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Pisani
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Bane
authors.forename: Jose C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mendez
authors.forename: G Martin
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Mullen
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Jacobs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D007087:Illinois; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D016019:Survival Analysis; D017741:Survivors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology