Gkouziouta A, Adamopoulos S, Manginas A, Karavolias G K, Leontiadis E, Tsourelis L, Zarkalis D, Loukas L, Stavridis G, Antoniou T, Degiannis D, Melissari E, Kaklamanis L, Saroglou G, Sfirakis P, Alivizatos P
Heart and Lung Transplantation Unit, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Athens, Greece.
Transplant Proc. 2009 Dec;41(10):4289-93. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2009.09.079.
Heart transplantation is the "gold standard" for treating patients in end-stage heart failure who satisfy strict selection criteria. However, infrequent transplant performance, eg, less than nine per year, may be associated with suboptimal results.
We reviewed our 13-year clinical experience (1996-2008) with 73 orthotopic heart transplants performed under strict selection criteria and followed closely thereafter at the only accredited center in Greece, a country with an annual rate of only seven donors per million population.
Low perioperative (5.47%) and long-term (7.5%) mortality rates were responsible for a 94% survival rate in the first year, 92% at five years, and 70% at ten years-similar to those reported worldwide-along with excellent functional recovery.
Strict recipient and donor selection criteria, combined with a rigorous multidisciplinary follow-up, yield excellent results despite the existing shortage of available grafts.
