Survival of patients removed from the heart transplant waiting list.
OBJECTIVE
End-stage heart failure has been associated with high mortality in the absence of transplantation. We evaluated the outcome of patients receiving optimal medical therapy who were removed from the cardiac transplant waiting list to determine survival and predictors of mortality.


METHODS
We performed a retrospective review of 27 patients removed from the cardiac transplant waiting list from 1999 to 2001 at our institution.


RESULTS
Mean age was 53 +/- 11 years; 16 of the patients were male. Status was IB in 3 cases and II in 24. Median time on the list was 32 months, and median follow-up was 2.9 years. Patients were removed from the transplant list because of either clinical improvement (group A, n = 18) or deterioration (group B, n = 9). In group A, 13 patients had improved functional status and 10 were in New York Heart Association class 1 or 2; 16 had improved echocardiographic left ventricular function. Survivals at 3 years were 100% in group A and 44% in group B (P <.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with end-stage heart failure who have clinical response to medical therapy have excellent 3-year survival. These data suggest the necessity of close evaluation of patients waiting for transplantation, with a low threshold for inactivation if persistent clinical improvement is observed.
Shah
Nirav R
NR
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo, USA.
Rogers
Joseph G
JG
Ewald
Gregory A
GA
Pasque
Michael K
MK
Geltman
Edward M
EM
Bailey
Marci S
MS
Moazami
Nader
N
D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left; D014850:Waiting Lists