Pediatric heart transplantation: Current status and perspectives.

BACKGROUND

Heart transplantation (HT) has been the treatment of choice for children with end-stage heart disease. Since the first transplant in 1967, almost 6 decades on, vast improvements have occurred, the number of transplants has increased over time, and post-transplant survival curve has progressively improved.

METHODS

The purpose of this review is to analyze the current status of pediatric HT, including epidemiology of heart failure, number of ventricular assist devices, number of transplants, and outcomes. The pretransplant, contemporary issues of children with heart failure, the waiting list for transplant, the role of multidisciplinary team, perspectives to overcome the storage of donors with xenotransplantation, donation after circulatory death, and ABO-incompatible transplantation are discussed.

RESULTS

The outcome of transplantation in children and the main post-transplant issues related to immunosuppression, transition, and adherence were addressed, as well as the use of telemedicine as an additional tool for surveillance.

CONCLUSION

HT in pediatric population is an established treatment for end-stage heart disease patients. The survival has increased over time, and there is a promising improvement in the care of these patients in relation to quality of life based on advances in the current researches and research and innovations in the future, improving life expectancy.