Cardiac transplantation at the Texas Heart Institute: comparative analysis of two groups of patients (1968-1969 and 1982-1983).

Two groups of heart transplant recipients were studied. Patients in Group 1 underwent heart transplantation from May, 1968, to November, 1969. They were compared with Group 2, a series begun in July, 1982, when the current cardiac transplantation program was renewed at the Texas Heart Institute, and terminated in December, 1983. Patient selection, management, and results were compared. With a cumulative follow-up of 64 patient-months (Group 1) versus 93 patient-months (Group 2), the actuarial 18-month survival was 0 in Group 1 versus 70% in Group 2. Nine of the 18 patients in Group 1 died of rejection versus 4 of the 18 patients in Group 2. There were 6 infection-related deaths in Group 1 and none in Group 2. Using linearized rates based on 100 patient-months, the incidences of rejection and infection were, respectively, 23 versus 10.7 (p less than 0.05) and 64 versus 34 (p less than 0.05) between Groups 1 and 2. Incidence, pattern, and severity of these major complications have been reduced significantly. Over the last decade, there have been improvements in the selection of potential candidates, better management of donors, improved graft preservation, and the introduction of more selective immunosuppression.