Early mortality after cardiac transplantation: comparison of demographic, clinical, biological and surgical variables

Abstract

Cardiac transplantation is the last alternative for those patients in terminal heart failure. However, its mortality is high, and approximately 20% of patients die in the first month after cardiac transplantation. We retrospectively reviewed 116 patients transplanted at our center in the last 6 years. Data about clinical, biological and surgical variables were collected. We undertook a multivariate analysis in order to find differences between those patients who died in the first month and those who survived. We found statistically significant differences in total ischemia time (P = .036) and extracorporeal circulation time (P = .001), with those patients that died in the first month having longer times. We also found a statistically significant difference in the weight of the recipient, with those recipients that died in the first month having a higher weight (P = .03). No statistically significant differences were found in the other variables. Of particular interest was the absence of a significant association in both groups (survival <1 month vs survival >1 month) in the variables related to pulmonary hypertension (pulmonary half-time pressure, pulmonary systolic pressure, vascular pulmonary resistances).