A comparative analysis of echocardiographic data for heart transplant eligibility in brain death cases.

BACKGROUND

The supply of donor hearts has fallen short of the increasing demand. This widening gap has led to a crisis marked by long waiting times and high mortality rates among those on waiting lists. This study aimed to compare the echocardiographic data of individuals whose hearts were eligible for transplant.

METHODS

This retrospective, cross-sectional study investigated all eligible brain-death cases conducted at Sina Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Based on echocardiographic data, patients were evaluated for heart donation (59 hearts that were deemed eligible vs. 39 hearts that were non-eligible for donation). The study used a custom checklist based on transthoracic echocardiography data. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18 software. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULT: The average age of the cases was 29.28 ± 10.59 years. Gender was not significantly associated with transplant eligibility (P = 0.46). In contrast, the cause of brain death was a significant factor (P = 0.04). There were statistically significant differences between the cause of brain death and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (F = 3.14, η² = 0.094, P = 0.029). No significant relationship was found between the cause of brain death and regional wall motion abnormality (RWMA) or pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP).

CONCLUSION

Borderline cases should undergo reevaluation using repeat transthoracic echocardiogram or echocardiographic assessments of heart function with inotropic medications to increase the pool of potential heart donors due to limited organ donor options.