title: Pediatric Heart Transplantation: Report from a Single Center in China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although heart transplantation (HTx) has become a standard therapy for end-stage heart diseases, experience with pediatric HTx is limited in China. In this article, we will try to provide the experience with indications, complications, perioperative management, immunosuppressive therapy, and survival for pediatric HTx based on our clinical work.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective chart review of the pediatric patients undergoing HTx at Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of Union Hospital from September 2008 to December 2014. We summarized the indications, surgical variables, postoperative complications, and survival for these patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nineteen pediatric patients presented for HTx at Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, of whom 10 were male. The age at the time of transplantation ranged from 3 months to 18 years (median 15 years). Patient weight ranged from 5.2 kg to 57.0 kg (median 38.0 kg). Pretransplant diagnosis included cardiomyopathy (14 cases), complex congenital heart disease (3 cases), and tumor (2 cases). All recipients received ABO-compatible donor hearts. Postoperative complications occurred in 12 patients, including cardiac dysfunction, arrhythmia, pulmonary infection, renal dysfunction, and rejection. Two of them experienced cardiac failure and required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The immunosuppression regimen was comprised of prednisone, a calcineurin inhibitor, and mycophenolate. All patients recovered with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class I-II cardiac function and were discharged. Only one patient suffered sudden death 19 months after transplantation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Orthotopic HTx is a promising therapeutic option with satisfying survival for the pediatric population in China with end-stage heart disease.
authors: Fei
authors: F
authors: Li
authors: Jie
authors: J
authors: Cai
authors: Yong-Feng
authors: YF
authors: Sun
authors: Jin-Ping
authors: JP
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, China.
authors: Nian-Guo
authors: NG
authors: Dong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents