Heart transplantation in Spain: the Spanish National Registry of Heart Transplantation (1984-1992).

The first heart transplantation in Spain was performed in 1984. Since then, 950 patients had undergone heart transplantation in our country as of December 1992. Data from all these 950 patients have been reported to the Spanish National Registry of Heart Transplantation since its inception in 1989. Follow-up is complete for all patients. Mean age of recipients was 46 +/- 14 years; 86% were male patients. Almost 50% of all heart transplant procedures were performed in 1991 (232 patients, 6 per million persons) and 1992 (254 patients, 6.6 per million). Twelve centers have performed heart transplantations in Spain. Of the 950 procedures, 907 (95%) have been orthotopic, 6 (0.6%) heterotopic, 16 (1.7%) heart-lung transplantations, and 21 (2.7%) retransplantations. Mortality on waiting list was 8% in 1991 and 5.2% in 1992. Idiopathic (47%) and ischemic (37%) cardiomyopathy were the two main causes leading to transplantation. Mean recipient age has increased from 38 years in 1985 to 50 in 1992; 50% of all patients who underwent transplantation in 1992 were older than 50 years of age, with 11% older than 60 years of age. Actuarial survival was 74% at 1 year and 63% at 6 years, which is similar to that of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Registry. One-year survival increased from 61% for patients receiving transplants in 1985 to 77% for those who received transplants in 1992. One-month mortality decreased from 23% in 1985 to 12% in 1992.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)