title: The midterm results of cardiac transplantation patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cardiac transplantation is an important treatment option that increases the survival and decreases the limitations in effort capacity among patients with end-stage heart disease. In this study we have presented the midterm results of 13 patients who underwent cardiac transplantation between 2003 and 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were 10 male and three female patients of mean age of 32 +/- 13.27 years (12 to 54). In one patient, we performed combined cardiac and renal transplantation. Ischemic cardiac disease was present in six patients and cardiomyopathy in seven patients. The mean age of the donors was 23.3 +/- 11.8 years (12 to 46). Corticosteroids, cyclosporine, and mycophenolate mofetil were used for immunosuppression. Sirolimus was employed in five cases due to impaired renal function. Patients were followed by echocardiography, endomyocardial biopsy, and dobutamine stress echocardiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean follow-up was 18.6 +/- 13.4 (1 to 38) months. In four patients, there was grade IIIA (II-R) rejection. In five patients, tacrolimus or cyclosporine was replaced with sirolimus due to elevated creatinine levels. Dobutamine stress echocardiography was positive in one patient, who displayed a severe left main coronary artery lesion. There was no operative mortality. There was only one hospital mortality (7.6%). Two patients died in the midterm. The overall mortality on follow-up was 3 (23.1%). The survival rates in the first, second, and third years were 92%, 88%, and 75%, respectively. Ejection fraction were more than 50%; all of posttransplant survivors showed good effort capacity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiac transplantation is a definitive, safe, and effective treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Baskent University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Ankara, Turkey. atillasezgin@gmail.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sezgin
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Akay
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gültekin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozkan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aydinalp
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Akpek
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aşlamaci
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000601:surgery; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents