title: How to cope with a temporarily aborted transplant program: solutions for a prolonged waiting period.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Due to budgetary restrictions our university heart transplant program came to a standstill to be gradually restarted early 2011. Consequently waiting-times for transplantation increased dramatically beyond the usual 10-15 months. We reviewed the clinical results of this peculiar transplant program over the past 4 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Since March 2011 until February 2015, 65 patients (age 48±23 years) were listed for heart transplantation. Eight patients (11%) of whom three in high emergency were transplanted without any form of mechanical assistance. Fifty-one patients required a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) Heartware (Heartware Inc., Miami Lakes, FL, USA) as a bridge-to-transplant due to terminal heart failure. Merely 5 listed patients remain without assistance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One patient without assistance and 11 LVAD patients (22%) died on the waiting-list. Meanwhile 10 LVAD patients were transplanted after a 2-year waiting time (770±717 days). Four transplanted patients died of early graft failure none after LVAD explantation. Survival at 1 and 3 years was respectively 78 (72%) and 83 (78%) for transplanted and assisted patients (log-rank P=0.056). Cox multivariable regression analysis identified crash-to-burn patients (P=0.002) and waiting-times over 2 years (P=0.044) as risk factors for early death, while age above 60 (P=0.008) and ischemic aetiology (P=0.029) and pulmonary hypertension (P=0.092) were risk factors for survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In times of donor shortage mechanical assistance proves very effective as bridge-to-transplant in patients for whom candidacy follows the standard inclusion procedures. In our settings, a steep increase in LVAD implantation served to salvage patients for whom transplantation became jeopardized due to an ever increasing waiting-time. Circulatory LVAD support could be considered as primary therapy in the future.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Erasme ULB, Brussels, Belgium ; 2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vanden Eynden
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Erasme ULB, Brussels, Belgium ; 2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Antoine
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Erasme ULB, Brussels, Belgium ; 2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bachar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: El Oumeiri
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Erasme ULB, Brussels, Belgium ; 2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marie-Luce
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chirade
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Erasme ULB, Brussels, Belgium ; 2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vachiéry
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Erasme ULB, Brussels, Belgium ; 2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Guido J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Van Nooten
keywords: Transplantation; bridge; explant; left ventricular assist device (LVAD); waiting-list