Introduction: Information on the number, indications and outcome of cardiac transplantations in Icelandic patients is scarce, as is information on the number of hearts donated from Iceland for cardiac transplantation.
Material and methods: A retrospective study on patients receiving heart transplantation from the first procedure in 1988 until March 2019. Clinical information was gathered from Landspitali Transplantation Clinic, patient charts, and information on donated hearts from the Icelandic Donation Registry. Age-standardized incidence of the procedure was calculated, and overall survival (Kaplan-Meier) estimated. Mean follow-up was 10.3 years.
Results: Altogether 24 patients (19 males, median age 38 years, range: 4-65 years) underwent cardiac transplantation; that included one re-transplantation, three simultaneous heart- and lung transplants and two heart- and kidney transplants. The transplantations were performed in Gothenburg (n=20), London (n=3) and Copenhagen (n=2). Most common indications were dilated cardiomyopathy (n=10), congenital heart disease (n=4), and viral myocarditis (n=3). Five patients were bridged left ventricular-assist device preoperatively. Overall survival at 1 and 5 years was 91% and 86%, respectively; median survival being 24 years. The incidence of cardiac transplantation was 2.7 heart-TX pmp/year but increased to 4.6 heart-TX pmp/year after 2008 (p=0.01). During the same period 42 hearts were donated from Iceland for transplantation abroad, the first in 2002 and increasing from 0.8 to 3.0 hearts/year during the first and second half of the study-period, respectively.
Conclusion: Survival of Icelandic cardiac transplant recipients is good and comparable to larger transplant centers overseas. Number of hearts donated from Iceland have increased and currently Iceland donates twice as many hearts at it receives.
Keywords: Iceland; cardiac surgery; cardiac transplantation; heart failure; heart transplant donation; survival.