title: Alcohol use in donors is a protective factor on recipients' outcome after heart transplantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The outcome of heart transplantation is highly influenced by good donor selection. Because a history of alcoholism is prevalent among potential heart donors, we sought to explore the effect of alcohol use in donors on the outcome of heart transplantation in the recipient.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 437 consecutive patients underwent heart transplantation from January 2002 through September 2005. Patients' files were retrospectively studied. Mean follow-up period was 3.14+/-1.9 years (range, 3 days to 6.5 yrs). The cohort was divided into two subgroups. The alcoholic donor group (ADG) included 98 of 421 patients and the nonalcoholic donor group (NADG) included 323 of 421 patients. Mean age was 35.3+/-11.4 yrs (range, 18-66) for the ADG and 33+/-12.2 yrs (range, 18-62) for the NADG.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mortality among the ADG was 7 of 98 (7.1%) and for NADG was 55 of 323 (17.1%) (P=0.015). The mean interval time between transplant and mortality was, for ADG, 27.7+/-20.6 months (range, 0.07-51) and for NADG, 16.4+/-19.6 months (range, 0.14-73) (P=0.031). Survival rate was significantly higher among the ADG at 72.8+/-1.9 months compared with NADG at 66.2+/-1.5 months (P=0.019). Overall rejection rate was 22 of 421 (5.2%); rejection rate was 17 of 323 (5.2%) in NADG and 5 of 98 (5.1%) in ADG. Rejection free survival was 74.6+/-0.85 with no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.85).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The chronic alcoholism of donors was found to be a protective factor regarding the outcome after heart transplantation. Significant differences were found in mortality rate and survival after heart transplantation between the ADG and NADG. These data support the fact that it is safe to use donors' hearts regardless of a history of alcoholism.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1741, USA.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: De La Zerda
authors.forename: Oved
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Ramin E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Beygui
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kobashigawa
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hekmat
authors.forename: Hillel
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Laks
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014019:Tissue Donors