Cardiac transplantation in the United States from 1988 to 2010: an analysis of OPTN/ UNOS registry.

We examined heart transplant demographics, graft outcomes and associated risk factors in the United States from 1988 to 2010, reported in the UNOS registry. Only those who underwent primary orthotopic heart transplants were selected, excluding those with multi-organ transplants. Infant mortality in the first three months after heart transplantation should be given more attention because strategies to prevent early graft failure would have the greatest impact on survival in this group. African American recipients are the group most vulnerable to graft loss in solid organ transplantation, with no exception for heart transplant. Since we found that matching AA recipients with AA donors significantly raises the survival rate, race-matching should be advocated for this group. HLA compatibility does play an independent role in heart transplantation, although the effect is not as obvious as in kidney transplantation.