People who undergo heart transplantation as children live more than 15 years after the surgery, a latest study shows.
The study released by Loma Linda University, California, at the 50th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons examined medical histories of 337 pediatric heart transplant patients who underwent the procedure at their institution since 1985.
The researchers found that 54.3 percent or 183 patients of the 337 who underwent heart transplantations during infancy or childhood survived beyond 15 years post-surgery.
"The average adult survival rate following heart transplantation currently is 10 years," lead author Hannah Copeland, MD, Loma Linda University, said in a press release. "We studied survival rates beyond 15 years for pediatric heart transplant patients to learn more about quality of life and factors that led to improved survival."
Furthermore, the analysis also showed that 82 percent (151) of those who survived more than 15 years were at present alive and showed good heart function. Also among these patients, the researchers found the average ejection fraction to be 62 percent. This means that 62 percent of the blood in the left ventricle was pushed out with each heartbeat. A normal ejection fraction is between 55 percent and 70 percent.
"Our study demonstrates that pediatric heart transplant patients who live more than 15 years post-surgery can expect to have reasonable cardiac function and quality of life," said Copeland.
The patients who did not survive more than 15 years suffered from graft vasculopathy and renal (kidney) complications, the study showed. Graft vasculopathy is an accelerated form of coronary artery disease in which artery walls progressively thicken because of plaque buildup, the researchers explained. Patients with graft vasculopathy can undergo heart transplantation and kidney transplantation can be performed on patients who develop renal complications.
"While major challenges still exist for long-term survival in kids, close surveillance lifelong monitoring, and with advances in immunosuppression medications, the lifespan of the patient can be prolonged," said Copeland. "Pediatric heart transplant is not a cure, but a chance at life."
There are various medical reasons for pediatric heart transplantations. Some children are born with congenital heart problems that cause their hearts to fail. Doctors perform heart transplantations on such children, reported KidsHealth.
Other reasons for heart transplantation in children include cardiomyopathy. In cardiomyopathy the heart muscle does not function well and the body does not get enough blood supply. KidsHealth say cardiomyopathy is the main reason that children and teenagers need heart transplants. Some other less common reasons for heart transplants include myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and abnormal heart rhythms, also known as arrhythmias or dysrhythmias.
