Cardiac resynchronization therapy in an orthotopic heart transplant recipient

Samuel J Tu; Christopher X Wong; Michael B Stokes; Bradley M Pitman; Prashanthan Sanders; Dennis H Lau

doi:10.1016/j.jccase.2022.10.011

Cardiac resynchronization therapy in an orthotopic heart transplant recipient

J Cardiol Cases. 2022 Nov 10;27(2):80-83. doi: 10.1016/j.jccase.2022.10.011. eCollection 2023 Feb.

Authors

Samuel J Tu¹, Christopher X Wong^{1

2}, Michael B Stokes^{1

2}, Bradley M Pitman^{1

2}, Prashanthan Sanders^{1

2}, Dennis H Lau^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
² Department of Cardiology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia.

Abstract

Although cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an established therapy in selected patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), its role in orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) recipients remains understudied. We describe a case of successful CRT implantation in an OHT recipient for HFrEF and high-grade atrioventricular block. This case highlights the deliberations made given the lack of clinical trial and observational evidence for this therapy in OHT recipients.

Learning objective: This case demonstrates the feasibility of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in an orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) recipient and adds to the scarcely reported data on the utility of CRT in this population. Given the exclusion of OHT recipients from the major CRT trials, further research is required to refine the indications for CRT implantation in this population.

Keywords: Atrioventricular block; Cardiac resynchronization therapy; Heart failure; Heart transplant.

Publication types

Case Reports