Abstract

During organ transport, a novel technology known as the Cardiac Transport System provides stable and optimal hypothermic control. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of using the system with those of using the conventional static cold storage method after a heart transplant. 62 and 186 patients underwent primary heart transplantation at Stanford University from 2018 to June 2021, with follow-up through May. All-cause mortality was the primary end point, and postoperative complications were the secondary end points. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses, optimal variable ratio matching, and the cox proportional hazards regression model were used [1]. The matched patients were older and had received organs with significantly longer total allograft ischemic times prior to matching. After matching, patients required fewer units of blood product for perioperative transfusion than patients, but their postoperative outcomes—hospital length of stay, primary graft dysfunction, inotrope score, use of mechanical circulatory support, cerebral vascular accident, myocardial infarction, respiratory failure, new renal failure necessitating dialysis, postoperative bleeding reoperation, infection, and survival—were comparable [2].

In conclusion, this is one of the very first retrospective comparison studies to examine the outcomes of heart transplantation with preserved and system-transported organs [3]. Even though the total allograft ischemic time was long, the good results may justify implementing a system that accepts organs from faraway locations to broaden the donor pool.