HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Livi, U. Articles by Gallucci, V. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Livi, U. Articles by Gallucci, V.

European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Vol 4, 202-206, Copyright © 1990 by European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery

ARTICLES

Heterotopic heart transplantation--a means to increase donor availability

U Livi, G Faggian, B Chiominto, A Mazzucco, U Bortolotti and V Gallucci
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Padova Medical School, Italy.

From November 1985 to August 1989, 105 patients underwent heart transplantation at our institution of whom 8 (7%) underwent heterotopic heart transplantation (HHTx). There were 7 males and 1 female with a mean age of 49 +/- 6 years (range, 41-58 years), 7 of whom had ischaemic cardiomyopathy and 1 had dilated cardiomyopathy. The indications for HHTx were gross donor/recipient size mismatch, unreliable donor heart, elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and the need for urgent transplantation or their combination. HHTx was performed as a left ventricular bypass in 6 patients and as biventricular bypass in 2 combined with various surgical procedures on the native heart in 5. There was one perioperative death with a mean follow-up of the survivors of 17 +/- 10 months (range, 6-30 months). Comparison of preoperative and postoperative (1 year) 2-D echocardiographic studies of the native heart showed haemodynamic stability of the latter with no substantial changes in left ventricular ejection fraction and cardiac index, while left ventricular end- diastolic volume tended to increase in 2 patients. In conclusion, preservation of the native heart allows recovery or growth of a graft considered unsuitable for orthotopic transplantation. Our experience confirms that HHTx may still be considered a valuable alternative to orthotopic transplantation in selected patients, thus expanding donor utilization.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. E. Newcomb, D. S. Esmore, F. L. Rosenfeldt, M. Richardson, and S. F. Marasco Heterotopic Heart Transplantation: An Expanding Role in the Twenty-First Century? Ann. Thorac. Surg., October 1, 2004; 78(4): 1345 - 1350. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]