Exception-Status Listing: A Critical Pathway to Heart Transplantation for Adults With Congenital Heart Diseases

Abstract

Adults with congenital heart diseases may not be candidates for conventional therapies to control ventricular systolic dysfunction, including mechanical circulatory support, which moves potential heart-transplantation recipients to a listing status of higher priority. This results in longer waitlist times and greater mortality rates. Exception-status listing allows a pathway for this complex and anatomically heterogenous group of patients to be listed for heart transplantation at appropriately high listing status. Our study queried the United Network for Organ Sharing registry to evaluate trends in the use of exception-status listing among adults with congenital heart diseases awaiting heart transplantation. Uptrend in the use of exception-status listing precedes the new allocation system, but it has been greatest since changes were made in the allocation system. It continues to remain a vital pathway for adults with congenital heart disease (whose waitlist mortality rates are often not characterized adequately by using the waitlist-status criteria) timely access to heart transplantation.

Keywords: Heart transplantation allocation system; adults with congenital heart disease; exception-status listing; heart transplantation.