Cipriani Manlio, Macera Francesca, Verde Alessandro, Bruschi Giuseppe, del Medico Marta, Oliva Fabrizio, Martinelli Luigi, Frigerio Maria
Cardiologia 2 - Insufficienza Cardiaca e Trapianto, A. De Gasperis, A.O. Ospedale Niguarda Ca' Granda, Milano.
G Ital Cardiol (Rome). 2012 May;13(5 Suppl 1):35S-41S.
Women candidates for heart transplantation are definitely less than men, just 20% of all patients transplanted; even in the INTERMACS registry they represent only 21% of all ventricular assist devices (VAD) implanted. The reasons for this big difference are discussed in this article. Why women are less frequently assessed for unconventional therapies? Are they sicker or just less regarded? Our experience and the literature show us clear epidemiological, clinical and treatment differences that could lead to a lower prevalence of end-stage disease in women of an age suitable for unconventional therapies. Once on the transplant list, women wait less than men for a heart transplant, because they present with more severe disease, have a lower body mass index and undergo less VAD implants. After transplantation women's survival is comparable to men's, although they usually complain of a lower quality of life. Females receive less often a VAD than men. The main reasons for this include presentation with advanced heart failure at an older age than men, worse outcomes related to small body surface area, and lower survival rates on VAD when implanted as bridge to heart transplantation.
