Who waits longest for heart and lung transplantation?

Abstract

Between August 1982 and December 1992, 260 patients were accepted for heart and lung transplantation, of whom 139 patients underwent transplant surgery. One hundred twenty-one patients have not received transplants, of whom 80 have died, four were transferred to other lists, and 37 were still waiting for suitable organs at the close of the study. Median waiting time for those patients who underwent heart and lung transplantation was 7 months, whereas patients who died waiting spent a median of 5 months on the list. Recipients are matched to donor organs according to blood type, size (total lung capacity), and cytomegalovirus antibody status. These factors, along with age, gender, underlying diagnosis, and Toxoplasma antibody status, were studied to assess their influence on survival after acceptance and time to transplantation. The only characteristic that significantly influenced survival after acceptance was the underlying disease, with patients with Eisenmenger's syndrome having significantly longer survival than the other groups (relative risk = 0.21; p < 0.001). Patients with Eisenmenger's syndrome underwent transplantation at a slower rate than did other patients (relative risk = 0.51; p = 0.012). Patients who had a total lung capacity of more than 6 L underwent transplantation significantly more quickly than did smaller patients (relative risk = 1.98; p = 0.005). Male patients underwent heart and lung transplantation at a quicker rate than did female patients (relative risk = 1.86; p < 0.001), although this was related to size. Patients who had cytomegalovirus-positive antibodies underwent transplantation at almost twice the rate of patients who had cytomegalovirus-negative antibodies (relative risk = 1.92; p < 0.001). Age at acceptance, blood type, and Toxoplasma status did not significantly influence time to heart and lung transplantation. In summary, cytomegalovirus antibody status, patient size, and gender significantly affect the waiting time to heart and lung transplantation. Patients with Eisenmenger's syndrome wait longer than other patients as a result of the natural history of their disease.