title: Heart retransplantation for pediatric primary allograft failure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Heart transplantation is indicated for children with end-stage heart failure or complex inoperable congenital defects. When the transplanted heart fails, retransplantation is suggested and herein we have presented the prognosis of these pediatric cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  From March 1987 to March 2011, we performed 404 heart transplantations including 45 pediatric patients, 6 (13.3%) of whom experienced graft failure requiring retransplantation. Only four of the six patients (66.7%) had a chance for retransplantation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six of 45 pediatric heart transplant patients (13.3%) experienced graft failure requiring retransplantation. Four of them (66.7%) underwent retransplantation. Only one of the four died due to severe postoperative sepsis with acute respiratory distress. The other three patients recovered well and remain alive with no neurological sequelae; all are in New York Heart Association functional classification I at present.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pediatric post-heart graft failure require expectations retransplantation, which shows a good prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012086:Reoperation; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D013624:Taiwan; D013997:Time Factors; D014188:Transposition of Great Vessels / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D017211:Treatment Failure