Abstract
Introduction: The effect of the 2018 adult heart allocation policy change at an institution-level remains unclear. The present study assessed the impact of the policy change by transplant center volume. Methods: The United Network for Organ Sharing database was queried for all adults undergoing isolated heart transplantation from November 2016 to September 2020. Era 1 was defined as the period before the policy change and Era 2 afterwards. Hospitals were divided into low-(LVC) medium-(MVC) and high-volume (HVC) tertiles based on annual transplant center volume. Competing-risks regressions were used to determine changes in waitlist death/deterioration, while post-transplant mortality was assessed using multivariable Cox proportional-hazards models. Results: A total of 3531 (47.0%) patients underwent heart transplantation in Era 1 and 3988 (53.0%) in Era 2. At LVC, Era 2 patients were less likely to experience death/deterioration on the waitlist (subhazard ratio.74, 95% CI.63–.88), while MVC and HVC patients experienced similar waitlist death/deterioration across eras. After adjustment, transplantation in Era 2 was associated with worse 1-year mortality at MVC (hazard ratio, HR, 1.42 95% CI 1.02–1.96) and HVC (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.02–1.98) but not at LVC. Conclusion: Early analysis shows that LVC may be benefitting under the new allocation scheme.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | e14389 |
Journal | Clinical Transplantation |
Volume | 35 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2021 |
Keywords
- Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN)
- United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
- heart failure/injury
- organ allocation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Transplantation