Morbimortality in heart and lung transplantation in Cuba: a 20-year follow-up.

The first orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) was performed in 1967 by C.N. Barnard in Cape Town, South Africa. The first OHT in Cuba was performed in 1985. The main purpose of our study was to determine some of the aspects related to the short-, mid-, and long-term morbimortality rates of OHT patients in Cuba. We analyzed the first 120 OHTs (3 heart plus lung transplantations, 4 retransplantations, and 113 heart transplantations) which were performed in Cuba from December 1985 to December 2005. Based on the analysis, we performed a descriptive, retrospective research about morbimortality. There was a predominance of the masculine sex (5.31:1). The overall mean age was 45.13 +/- 11.58 years (range, 14-67 years). The most frequent pretransplant diagnosis was coronary artery disease (CAD; n = 69; 57.5%). Analyzing the Kaplan-Meier survival curve, we observed that the survival probability at 1 year was 83.3%; at 5 years, 45.7%; and at 10 years 19.2%. The complications by frequency were: sepsis (n = 41; 37%), acute rejection episodes (n = 42; 35.0%), and neoplasia (n = 4; 3.3%). Complications in frequency order were sepsis and acute rejection episodes among short term and chronic rejection and chronic renal failure among long-term survivors.

Registro da Sociedade Internacional de Transplante de Coraçäo e Pulmäo: Experiência mundial com transplante cardíaco / The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Word experience with heart transplantation

Em Abril de 1995, a Sociedade Internacional de Trasnplante de Coraçäo e Pulmäo (ISHLT) divulgou os registros atualizados fornecidos por 257 centros cooperativos, totalizando 30.297 transplantes de coraçäo, 1.708 transplantes de coraçäo-pulmonar, 2.465 transplantes simples de pulmäo e 1.344 transplantes bilaterais ou duplos de pulmäo. O número de transplantes de coraçäo por ano está emtre 2.500 e 3.000, com mortalidade para 30 dias de 7,5 por cento no período de 1991 a 1994 e sobrevivência de 23 porento para 12 anos de pós-operatório. Os fatores de risco que mais contribuíram para a mortalidade dentro do primeiro ano de pós-operatório säo: transplante cardíaco prévio, uso de dispositivo de assistência ventricular, receptor jovem (< 5 anos) ou idoso (> 60 anos). No período de 1991 a 1994, foram realizados 250 a 300 transplantes pediátricos por ano. A mortalidade para 30 dias é de 23 por cento para crianças operadas no primeiro ano de vida, de 20 por cento entre 1 e 5 anos e de 15 por cento entre 6 8 anos. A sobrevivência é de 70 por cento para o segundo ano de pós-operatório. Os transplantes cardíacos têm sido realizados com sucesso nestes dez últimos anos, mas a sobrevivência em doze anos é inferior a 40 por cento, montrando a necessidade de esforço concentrados nos estudos de "follow-up" para melhorar a sobrevivência a longo prazo dos pacientes submetidos a transplante de coraçäo.

Trasplante pulmonar y cardiopulmonar. Experiencia en 60 casos / Lung and cardiopulmonary transplantation. 60 cases experience

Se revisan 60 trasplantes pulmonares y cardiopulmonares (39 cardiopulmonares, catorce bipulmonares y siete unipulmonares) realizados entre 1988 y 1991 en Burdeos. La incidencia primaria del trasplante fue enfermedad respiratoria en 46 y enfermedad cardiaca en catorce casos. Seis pacientes fallecieron durante el primer mes del postoperatorio; doce entre el primero y el sexto mes debido fundamentalmente a complicaciones infecciones y episodios de rechazo agudo y cuatro después del sexto mes. En 37 pacientes con un período de seguimiento superior a seis meses se observaron seis casos de bronquiolitis obliterativa; uno de ellos requirió trasplante y los otros conco presentaron parámetros espirométricos sugestivos de brocquiolitis. Los otros 31 presentaron volúmenes pulmonares y flujos respiratorios entre el 70 y el 110 por ciento de los valores teóricos. Los factores de riesgo que pueden desaconsejar el trasplante pulmonar incluyen la presencia de infección en el receptor, la corticodependencia, adherencias pleurales y el mal estado general con desnutricón. El desarrollo de una nueva técnica de revascularización traqueobronquial ha permitido ampliar las indicaciones del trasplante bipulmonar,el cual se realiza hoy día con la misma frecuencia que el trasplante cardiopulmonar. Las técnicas de elección, según la patología de base, son: trasplante unipulmonar en las fibrosis pulmonares no acompañadas de infección; trasplante bipulmonar en las enfermedades pulmonares con supuración crónica y enfisema con gran hiperinsuflación; y trasplante cardiopulmonar en pacientes con enfermedad cardica y pulmonar asociadas.

Pediatric lung transplantation: expanding indications, 1985 to 1993.

The application of lung transplantation to the pediatric population was a natural extension of the success realized in our adult transplant program, which began in 1982. Thirty-two pediatric patients (age range 1 to 18 years) have undergone heart-lung (n = 16), double-lung (n = 14), and single-lung (n = 2) transplantation procedures. The cause of end-stage lung disease was primary pulmonary hypertension (n = 7), congenital heart disease (n = 7), cystic fibrosis (n = 9), pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (n = 2), desquamative interstitial pneumonitis (n = 2), graft-versus-host disease (n = 1), emphysema (n = 1), rheumatoid lung (n = 1), cardiomyopathy (n = 1), and Proteus syndrome (n = 1). Six patients (19%) underwent pretransplantation thoracic surgical procedures. The survival rate was 78% at a mean follow-up of 1.8 years. The survival rate in the 23 recipients without cystic fibrosis was 87% (95% since 1985). The actuarial 1-year survival rate in the nine recipients with cystic fibrosis was 55%. Immunosuppression was cyclosporine (n = 9) or FK 506 (n = 23)-based therapy with azathioprine and steroids. Children were followed up by spirometry, transbronchial biopsy, and primed lymphocyte testing of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The mean number of treated episodes of rejection per patient in the groups treated with cyclosporine and FK 506, respectively, was 1.0 and 1.2 at 30 days, 0.67 and 0.38 at 30 to 90 days, and 2.33 and 0.46 at greater than 90 days (p < 0.001, Fisher exact test).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A decade of lung transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: The experience accrued at the University of Pittsburgh between March 1982 and December 1992 in the various forms of lung transplantation, including heart-lung, double lung, and single lung, is discussed. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Heart-lung (n = 97) was the most commonly performed operation followed by double lung (n = 80) and single lung (n = 68). Major indications included primary pulmonary hypertension (n = 76), obstructive lung disease (n = 57), Eisenmenger's syndrome (n = 42), cystic fibrosis (n = 32), and retransplantation (n = 13). Since May 1991, 115 procedures have been performed and heart-lung transplantation has decreased from 61% to 15% of the cases with a corresponding doubling in double lung from 24% to 43% and single lung from 15% to 42%. RESULTS: The 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates in all 232 recipients were 61%, 55%, and 44%, respectively. The actuarial survival rate was significantly better for those 107 recent recipients compared to the 125 early recipients (70% vs. 61%). Overall, the 63 single (70%) and 74 double (65%) lung procedures were more successful than heart-lung transplantation (53%). Recently, however, lung transplantation has been associated with an improvement in the survival rate from 48% to 72%. The survival rate has also improved from 53% to 77% for single lung transplant recipients. The causes of death in 106 recipients included infection (n = 40), early allograft dysfunction (n = 23), obliterative bronchiolitis (n = 13), and inoperative bleeding (n = 10). Poor outcomes also included technical problems (n = 6), lymphoma (n = 4), acute rejection (n = 3), diaphragmatic paralysis (n = 2), multisystem organ failure (n = 2), stroke (n = 2), liver failure (n = 1), and airway dehiscence (n = 1). CONCLUSIONS: The long-term outlook for lung transplant recipients has improved. There appears to be significant conservation of organs with single lung and double lung transplantation, finding greater acceptance for diseases once exclusively treated by heart-lung transplantation alone. The improved long-term outlook will be dependent upon better treatment for chronic rejection of the airways that histologically is defined by obliterative bronchiolitis.

[The heart-lung transplant. Initial clinical experience]. / Transplante cardiopulmonar. Experiência clínica inicial.

PURPOSE: To assess this initial clinical experience with heart-lung transplantation in Brazil. METHODS: Four patients underwent heart-lung transplantation from December 1988 to March 1990, one patient with cardiomyopathy and high pulmonary resistance, two patients with primary pulmonary hypertension and another with pulmonary silicosis. The heart lung blocks were harvested from the donor using cardiopulmonary bypass and deep hypothermia. They were transplanted to the recipient by anastomosing the trachea, right atrium or venae cavae, and the ascending aorta. RESULTS: The second patient died on the 5th postoperative day due to respiratory insufficiency with consequent brain lesions. The first and third patients had survived nine months and 42 days respectively. The 4th patients is asymptomatic eight months after the operation. The main complications were bleeding in two patients, acute pulmonary rejection in three of them and obliterans bronchiolitis in one patients. CONCLUSION: The heart lung transplantation is a challenging procedure which results are progressively improving with the development of better surgical technique and clinical concepts.