Prevalence of donor-transmitted coronary artery disease and its influence on heart transplant outcomes.
BACKGROUND
It is uncertain whether donor-transmitted coronary artery disease (DTCAD) affects heart transplant (HT) recipients.


METHODS
This retrospective analysis includes records of all patients who underwent a HT at our center over an 8-year period, who survived for at least 1 month, and who were examined by coronary angiography within 2 months post-HT. We distinguished angiographically from keep ultrasonography (IVUS) detected DTCAD. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) comprised death, myocardial infarction, unstable angina, coronary revascularization, and admission because of heart failure not due to an acute rejection episode.


RESULTS
Among the 171 patients of mean age 53±13 years and including 83% men, 65 (38%) were evaluated by IVUS. Donors were aged 40±14 years (range=14-73). Angiographic DTCAD affected seven patients (4.1%), and IVUS-detected DTCAD, 35 (53.8% of those examined by IVUS). DTCAD donors were older than non-DTCAD donors, by an average of 13 years (P=.001) for angiographic DTCAD and 18 years (P<.0001) for IVUS-detected DTCAD. Two patients underwent percutaneous revascularization upon detection of angiographic DTCAD. The angiographic- and IVUS-detected DTCAD groups did not differ significantly from the corresponding non-DTCAD groups as regards MACE incidence during 54±41 and 38±20 months follow-up, respectively. Cox regression analysis with adjustment for relevant confounders confirmed that IVUS-detected DTCAD was not a predictor of MACE (hazard ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval 0.2-8.1).


CONCLUSIONS
Among HT patients surviving≥1 month, angiographic- and IVUS-detected DTCAD showed prevalences of <10% and >50%, respectively. Neither detection method was associated with a greater long-term incidence of MACE.
Estevez-Loureiro
R
R
Heart Transplant and Advanced Heart Failure Unit, Division of Cardiology, Hospital Universitario A Coruña, La Coruña, Spain. Rodrigo.Estevez.Loureiro@sergas.es
Paniagua-Martin
M J
MJ
Calviño-Santos
R
R
Vazquez-Rodríguez
J M
JM
Salgado-Fernandez
J
J
Marzoa-Rivas
R
R
Barge-Caballero
E
E
Grille
Z
Z
Pérez-Pérez
A
A
Rodríguez-Fernandez
J A
JA
Vázquez-González
N
N
Cuenca-Castillo
J J
JJ
Castro-Beiras
A
A
Crespo-Leiro
M G
MG
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014019:Tissue Donors; D016896:Treatment Outcome