More patients may benefit from heart transplant

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Heart transplant criteria have expanded to include older patients and those who have had cancer.
The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) used not to recommend of a heart transplant to those aged over 65 and those who have had cancer. It was believed that impaired immunity, resulting from cancer treatment, meant that heart transplant recipients should not receive anti-rejection medication which would complicate the outcome.

However, new data show that 90 per cent of transplant recipients over 65 are still alive one year later and 50 per cent are still alive at ten years - a worthwhile outcome. Accordingly, ISHLT guidelines have just been changed to allow heart transplants to those aged 65 to 70 and to some who have slow-growing or treated cancers. These expanded recipient criteria follow changes in donor criteria announced in 2002, which allows transplantation of hearts from those over 50, even if the hearts are enlarged or the arteries clogged up. Heart transplantation is a successful treatment for heart failure. But supply of donor hearts is unlikely ever to meet demand - so other treatments to slow down heart failure and prevent it occurring are also needed.

Source
International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation 15th September 2006