[Controversies in the selection of donors in heart transplants]

Abstract

The shortage of ideal donor hearts has led to an increasing number of would-be heart transplant recipients who die while on the waiting list: an extension of the classical donor criteria seems necessary to expand the donor pool. In this paper, the major controversies on donor selection are presented, along with the clinical results obtained in cardiac transplantation with donor grafts not complying with standard criteria. The extension of donor age over 35 years is supported by the decreased incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the Western world. In our experience, the number of donors over 40 years has increased steadily, without concomitant significant increase in postoperative short- and medium-term mortality after cardiac transplantation. The relative importance of CAD risk factors in the older heart donor is to be weighed out on a case-by-case basis. The performance of coronary angiography in 90% of the donor grafts over 50 years has led to more accurate selection. ECG minor alterations and ECHO diagnosed dyskynesias are of uncertain significance. Localized infection, transitory hypotension, brief cardiac arrest and thoracic trauma do not necessarily contraindicate heart donation. The importance of donor/recipient weight mismatch over 20% is critical only in face of high pulmonary vascular resistance. Prolonged dopamine infusion above 10 micrograms/kg/min may predict poorer function outcome. From our data, severe donor dysionemia may be very hazardous. In conclusion, our experience demonstrates that extended donor criteria do not compromise short- and medium-term clinical results of cardiac transplantation. Nevertheless, several controversial aspects of donor graft selection remain open.