Introduction:
Primary Graft Dysfunction (PGD) after Heart Transplantation (HTx) is seen in approximately 7-30% of heart transplant patients as described by the literature. Many of these patients have severe PGD which requires support with ECMO. It has been reported that patients who are severely ill on high dose inotropes or on assists devices have greater propensity to develop severe PGD. Many of these patients have borderline blood pressure due to poor cardiac function which may contribute to PGD with its associated vasoplegia. In order to asses risk for the development of PGD we evaluated our patients in terms of their status at the time of transplant to assess risk.
Methods:
Between 2010 and 2019 we assessed 44 Heart Transplant patients who developed severe PGD immediately after HTx. The UNOS Status at the time of Transplant was recorded along with the presence of a durable assist device, temporary assist device, or no Inotropes or assist device. 30 Day and 1 Year survival were assessed for all status groups including a control group (no PGD, n=799).
Results:
High urgency status at the time of transplant was not the overwhelming majority of patients that developed severe PGD. Approximately 32% of these patients were patients who were waiting for transplant at home, who were not on Intravenous Inotropes and not on assist devices. 1 Year survival was compromised in all patients who developed severe PGD with survival rates that were significantly lower than patients without PGD in our program (47.7% vs 93.6%, p<0.001) (see Table).
Conclusions:
High urgency status is not solely associated with the development of severe PGD. Further assessment into these non-urgent patients who develop severe PGD is warranted and is under investigation. Inflammatory markers should be assessed in all patients who develop severe PGD.
Proteomic Profiling Identifies CLEC4C Expression as A Novel Biomarker of Primary Graft Dysfunction after Heart Transplantation
