Heart transplant recipient 1-year outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors

Gabriel Esmailian, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington DC, USA.
Nikhil Patel, Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Jignesh K. Patel, Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Lawrence Czer, Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Matthew Rafiei, Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Dominick Megna, Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Dominic Emerson, Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Danny Ramzy, Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Alfredo Trento, Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Joanna Chikwe, Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Fardad Esmailian, Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Jon A. Kobashigawa, Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

5-11-2022

Journal

Clinical transplantation

DOI

10.1111/ctr.14697

Keywords

COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; heart transplantation; pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic initially brought forth considerable challenges to the field of heart transplantation. To prevent the spread of the virus and protect immunocompromised recipients, our center made the following modifications to post-transplant outpatient management: eliminating early coronary angiograms, video visits for postoperative months 7, 9, and 11, and home blood draws for immunosuppression adjustments. To assess if these changes have impacted patient outcomes, the current study examines 1-year outcomes for patients transplanted during the pandemic. Between March and September 2020, we assessed 50 heart transplant patients transplanted during the pandemic. These patients were compared to patients who were transplanted during the same months between 2011 and 2019 (n = 482). Endpoints included subsequent 1-year survival, freedom from cardiac allograft vasculopathy, any-treated rejection, acute cellular rejection, antibody-mediated rejection, nonfatal major adverse cardiac events (NF-MACE), and hospital and ICU length of stay. Patients transplanted during the pandemic had similar 1-year endpoints compared to those of patients transplanted from years prior apart from 1-year freedom from NF-MACE which was significantly higher for patients transplanted during the pandemic. Despite necessary changes being made to outpatient management of heart transplant recipients, heart transplantation continues to be safe and effective with similar 1-year outcomes to years prior.

APA Citation

Esmailian, Gabriel; Patel, Nikhil; Patel, Jignesh K.; Czer, Lawrence; Rafiei, Matthew; Megna, Dominick; Emerson, Dominic; Ramzy, Danny; Trento, Alfredo; Chikwe, Joanna; Esmailian, Fardad; and Kobashigawa, Jon A., "Heart transplant recipient 1-year outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic" (2022). GW Authored Works. Paper 964.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/964

Department

School of Medicine and Health Sciences Student Works