Riggs KW, Chapman JL, Schecter M, Towe C, Zafar F, Morales DLS. Pediatric heart-lung transplantation: A contemporary analysis of outcomes.
Pediatr Transplant 2020;
24:e13682. [PMID:
32067330 DOI:
10.1111/petr.13682]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Pediatric heart-lung transplantation (HLT) is rare, and no report has analyzed patient outcomes since time of listing. We analyzed pediatric HLTs to understand risk factors for waitlist and post-HLT mortality.
METHODS
All pediatric (<18 year old) HLT candidates were identified within the UNOS database (n = 573) and grouped by age, era, and by diagnosis. Logistical regression and Cox proportional hazard modeling identified risk factors for 6-month WL and overall post-transplant mortality.
RESULTS
209/573 (37%) HLT candidates were transplanted, 7% recovered, 42% died waiting, and 15% were removed for another/unknown reason. Diagnoses were primary pulmonary hypertension(n = 130), congenital heart disease(CHD) without Eisenmenger's syndrome (ES) (n = 65), CHD with ES (n = 73), and other (n = 305). Patients with a diagnosis other than CHD with ES (OR: 7.55, P = .001), on IV inotropic support (OR: 2.79, P < .001), and infants (OR: 2.20, P = .004) were associated with waitlist mortality. There has been a 56% reduction in HLTs across eras (Era 1:10.8/yr vs Era 2:4.7/yr). Risk factors for post-transplant mortality were ECMO (HR: 4.1, P = .016), and being infant (HR: 2.2, P = .04) or 1-11 years old (HR: 1.78, P = .015). ECMO patients have an 87% 2-year mortality rate with a median post-transplant survival of 64 days. Overall, post-transplant survival was unchanged (log-rank P = .067) between eras. Excluding ECMO patients, in the recent era 29 non-infant patients with primary pulmonary hypertension had 93% 1-year survival and 67% 5-year survival.
CONCLUSIONS
Nearly 600 pediatric patients have been listed for HLT in UNOS, although numbers are decreasing in the current era. HLT for a patient on ECMO appears to be an ineffective strategy; however, in well-selected cohorts, HLT can provide considerable post-transplant survival.
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