Right ventricle in patients after orthotopic heart transplantation

Eighteen patients were examined by echocardiography one month before, and one month after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). The right-heart echocardiographic parameters were compared with pulmonary haemodynamics. All recipients showed increased mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) (42 +/- 8 mmHg) and pulmonary vascular resistance 3.0 +/- 1.3 u.) before OHT. The causes of the pulmonary hypertension, and indications for OHT, were the end stage of dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 8), ischaemic heart disease (n = 9) and aortic valve disease (n = 1). After transplantation, the donor's right ventricle dilates due to the recipient's elevated pulmonary vascular resistance. The right ventricular dimension after OHT was greater than 30 mm in 1/3 of patients. The right ventricular diastolic dimension correlates statistically significantly with mean PAP of the recipient before the procedure. Right ventricular dilatation is accompanied by a mild degree of tricuspid insufficiency (in 89% of cases), as documented by Doppler examination. Neither the degree of right ventricular dilatation, nor the degree of tricuspid insufficiency show a tendency to progression during follow-up.     

Arrhythmias after orthotopic heart transplantation

BACKGROUND: Arrhythmias frequently occur after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). METHODS AND RESULTS: The most common are ventricular premature complexes, atrial premature complexes, sinus or junctional bradycardia, atrial fibrillation, and atrial flutter, all of which have varying clinical significance depending on associated or causative conditions. Unique etiologic factors such as allograft rejection, transplant coronary artery disease, and altered anatomy and autonomic nervous system changes require that arrhythmias be treated differently after OHT compared with the general population. CONCLUSION: The potentially severe ramifications of allograft rejection and coronary artery disease make treatment of these disorders in the setting of arrhythmias as important as treating the arrhythmias themselves. At the same time, autonomic denervation and altered anatomy after transplantation complicate drug and device therapies.     

Transesophageal echocardiography after orthotopic heart transplantation

Conclusion TEE, which was for the first time used for evaluation of transplant patients in this study, yielded important information on the morphology and function of the transplanted heart, which cannot be obtained by TTE. The TEE findings indicate the need for antiplatelet therapy in patients with SEC and provide a potential clue to the pathogenesis of the AV valve incompetence.Supported by a Research Grant of the Wilhelm Sander-Foundation (AZ 86.015.2)     

Long-term follow-up after orthotopic heart transplantation

While infection and acute rejection continue to be the most frequent cause of early postoperative mortality, chronic rejection including both coronary vasculopathy and unspecific myocardial allograft failure and side effects of immunosuppressive therapy determine late survival and quality of life. Some data are presented of a systematic program for long-term follow-up of cardiac transplant recipients with particular emphasis on coronary vasculopathy and modern concepts in rejection detection and control. Infections remain a notable source of morbidity and mortality. The importance of continued efforts to prevent infection even in the Cyclosporin era has to be emphasized. Tricuspid insufficiency is influenced by the mismatch of recipient and donor heart size. Intraoperative adaptation of the recipient pericardium to the size of the donor heart reduces the magnitude. Unspecific graft failure has been observed to occur at an incidence of 8% three years after transplantation. Three types of rejection can be distinguished after heart replacement, the hyperacute rejection as a rare complication precipitated by preformed recipient antibodies to donor antigens, the acute rejection as a major risk factor for survival in the postoperative first year, and, finally, the chronic rejection which is an important factor for long-term survival and quality of life. Considering the detection and classification of the acute rejection, a semiquantification is advantageous because of its therapeutic relevance. The chronic rejection is characterized by vascular abnormalities, interstitial changes, and myocardial alterations. Of these, the vascular component is the most important clinically. The incidence of this coronary vasculopathy, taking all forms visible angiographically, is about 30-40% of surviving patients three years after transplantation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Hemodynamic assessment after heart transplantation]

OBJECTIVE: Comparative analysis of the results of the hemodynamic evaluations performed at the preoperative period, during the first week and at the end of the first and second years, after orthotopic heart transplantation. DESIGN: Retrospective study of hemodynamic evaluation of patients submitted to orthotopic cardiac transplantation from April 1987 to April 1990. SETTING: Transplanted patients admitted at the cardiology and cardio-toracic surgery departments of the Hospital Santa Marta. PATIENTS: 15 patients (eleven males and four females) aged 21 to 55 years (mean = 33.3 +/- 10.5), with the preoperative diagnosis: dilated cardiomyopathy in 11, ischemic heart disease in three and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in one patient. All the patients were on triple immunosuppressive therapy (cyclosporine A, azatioprine and prednisolone) at the time of the first week evaluation. Three of the eight patients evaluated at the end of the first year were with double immunosuppressive regimen (without steroids), seven at NYHA functional class I and one patient at class II. The three patients evaluated at the end of the second year were on triple immunosuppressive regimen and in class I. INTERVENTIONS: We considered, preoperatively (PrOp), at the first week (1W), and at the end of the first (1Y) and second (2Y) years: mean right atrial pressure (RA), systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (PAs), mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAm), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCW), mean systemic arterial pressure (SAm), cardiac index (CI), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR). At 1Y and 2y there were also considered the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and the ejection fraction (Ej). RESULTS: (table; see text) The results found at 2Y were similar to those showed at 1Y. At 1Y and 2Y LVEDP and Ej were normal. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of mild to moderate hemodynamic disturbances characterizes the early post-operative period in cardiac transplantation. Abnormal pressures on right atrium, pulmonary artery, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, are found on a significant number of patients, and pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances are also elevated. However at the end of the first year there is a significant improvement compared with the first week. Normality is the hallmark of hemodynamic evaluation performed in transplant recipients at the end of the first and second years.     

Cyclosporin-A induced heart failure after orthotopic heart transplantation

Two patients suffering from dilated Cardiomyopathy (CMP) had to undergo orthotopic heart transplantation (HTX). In both cases, the postoperative period was without any complications. The immunosuppression consisted of Cyclosporin-A and Azathioprine including a one week prophylactic treatment with Antithymocyte Globuline (ATG). Four months postoperatively, they developed clinical signs of heart failure. The endomyocardial biopsies showed rejection at stage I according to Billingham's grading plus a fine interstitial fibrosis. Therefore, the Cyclosporin treatment was suspended and replaced by conventional immunosuppression consisting of Prednisolone and Azathioprine. Acute heart failure was managed by catecholamines in combination with aggressive diuretic therapy. After three weeks, both patients recovered. 12 weeks later, one died because of an acute rejection episode. The other is in good condition, with conventional immunosuppression at the present time. A vascular process caused by Cyclosporin-A as the pathogenic mechanism is considered. The absence of rejection signs in the biopsies as well as the remarkable improvement of heart failure after withdrawal of Cyclosporin-A support this possibility.     

Plasma hormones in patients with chronic heart failure before and early after orthotopic heart transplantation.

The aim of this prospective study was to investigate both vasoconstricting and vasodilating plasma hormones and plasma factors regulating the circulatory homeostasis in patients with endstage congestive heart failure before and early after orthotopic heart transplantation and to evaluate factors which may influence their regulation. 19 patients with endstage congestive heart failure were analyzed serially before and 3-4 weeks after orthotopic heart transplantation. A significant decrease in plasma concentrations of noradrenaline (457 +/- 202 vs. 204 +/- 88 pg/ml; p less than 0.001), adrenaline (43 +/- 32 vs. 26 +/- 11 pg/ml), atrial natriuretic peptide (341 +/- 218 vs. 139 +/- 64 pg/ml; p less than 0.005), cyclic guanosine monophosphate (13.8 +/- 7.8 vs. 6.6 +/- 2.2 pmol/ml, p less than 0.05) and in plasma renin activity (16.6 +/- 13.0 vs. 2.0 +/- 2.4 ng AI/ml/h; p less than 0.01) was found after transplantation. The data indicate that the marked increase in plasma catecholamine concentrations and renin activity in endstage congestive heart failure is reversible as early as 3-4 weeks after heart transplantation. This is most likely the consequence of normalization of cardiac function. While elevation of atrial natriuretic peptide and cyclic guanosine monophosphate as well as increased vasoconstrictor activity in heart failure appear to be related to impaired ventricular function, the persistent moderate elevation of both vasodilating agents after transplantation may be compensatory to counteract cyclosporin-induced arterial hypertension after heart transplantation.     

原位同种异体心脏移植术的麻醉管理

目的 :探讨 8例原位同种异体心脏移植术的麻醉管理。方法 :术前依据患者心脏功能及全身状况 ,给予强心、利尿、营养心肌等治疗。采用静脉吸入复合麻醉 ,气管插管控制呼吸 ,在体外循环下行原位异体心脏移植术。根据血流动力学监测选用合适剂量的血管活性药。结果 :8例患者术中的血流动力学平稳 ,术毕 6～ 14h拔除气管导管 ,无麻醉并发症。 2例患者分别于术后 17d和 72 d死亡 ,余 6例患者均存活。结论 :重视术前心功能准备 ,合理使用麻醉药和血管活性药物 ,维持术中的血流动力学平稳是原位异体心脏移植术麻醉的关键。     

Hemodynamic profiles at rest and during supine exercise after orthotopic cardiac transplantation

To characterize the spectrum of hemodynamic findings after orthotopic cardiac transplantation, 20 healthy heart transplant recipients with no evidence of cardiac dysfunction by noninvasive testing were studied for 1 to 51 months (mean 15) following surgery. After routine endomyocardial biopsy, right-sided heart pressures and thermodilution cardiac outputs were measured at rest (supine) and during symptom-limited, graded supine exercise. In addition, the effect of respiration on right atrial pressures and waveforms was determined at rest (supine, legs down), and after passive leg raising (volume loading). During exercise, striking increases of pulmonary artery, pulmonary artery wedge and right atrial pressures were seen. The mean pulmonary artery pressure rose 45% during the first stage of exercise (p less than 0.001) and by peak exercise it had increased 87% above resting values. The pulmonary artery wedge pressure increased significantly with passive leg elevation (p less than 0.001) and during the first stage of exercise rose 61% above baseline values. By peak exercise the mean pulmonary artery wedge pressure was more than double the resting value. Similarly, the right atrial mean pressure increased significantly (p less than 0.001) with passive leg elevation and nearly tripled at peak exercise. All values promptly returned to near baseline after exercise. The cardiac output increased 98% during exercise. During early exercise, the rise in cardiac output was mediated primarily by an increase in stroke volume. At rest, there was an abnormal response in right atrial mean pressure during slow deep inspiration in 7 individuals with legs down and in 12 after passive leg elevation (volume loading), including 4 of 10 patients studied beyond 1 year.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Late hemodynamic results after orthotopic heart transplantation in early infancy

To study the late hemodynamic results after infant orthotopic heart transplantation, five late survivors, as of October 1988, underwent right and left cardiac catheterization and endomyocardial biopsy. Mean age at transplantation was 1.4 +/- 1.5 months. Mean post-transplantation period was 17 +/- 5.6 months. All patients were on maintenance immunotherapy. The systemic and mixed venous saturations were normal, with no intracardiac shunt. The atrial and pulmonary artery anastomoses were widely patent. Three patients had coarctation of the aorta with a respective gradient of 24, 26, and 30 mm Hg; two were successfully treated by balloon angioplasty. The right-side hemodynamics were normal in all patients. Left ventricular pressures were elevated only in the patients with coarctation. The ventricular ejection fraction was normal. The right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy revealed no evidence of rejection. The mean cardiac index was 4.7 liter/min/m2 (range, 3.68-5.9). These data indicate excellent hemodynamic results and support orthotopic heart transplantation as therapy for selected neonates and infants with incurable heart disease.     

Evolution of heart rate responsiveness after orthotopic cardiac transplantation

Although anatomic reinnervation of the donor heart is unlikely after transplantation, individual subjects have been noted to show near physiologic heart rate (HR) responses to exercise. To assess development of this phenomenon, we studied HR changes in response to orthostasis and treadmill exercise in 52 orthotopic cardiac transplant recipients grouped according to time after transplantation. In group 1 (2.0 +/- 0.9 months), no significant increase in HR was seen up to 100 cardiac cycles after standing. A maximal acceleration of 4.0 +/- 3.8 beats was seen within 100 cardiac cycles after standing in group 2 (15.8 +/- 5.6 months). Patients in group 3 (42.4 +/- 12.4 months) showed significant cardioacceleration by 5 cardiac cycles after standing to a maximum of 10.7 +/- 5.8 beats/min within the first 100 cardiac cycles. During exercise, HR increased more rapidly during the first minute in group 3 compared with group 1 (p less than 0.01). After exercise, HR continued to increase in group 1 but decreased rapidly in the other groups, most notably group 3 (-26.5 +/- 16.5 by 2 minutes, p less than 0.0001 vs groups 1 and 2). These data indicate development of functional reinnervation after orthotopic heart transplantation. The phenomenon of early acceleration of the HR after orthostasis and rapid deceleration after exercise in transplant recipients implies a local cardiac mechanism rather than response to circulating catecholamines.     

Catheter ablation of atrial flutter after orthotopic heart transplantation

INTRODUCTION: Atrial arrhythmias, including atrial flutter, are common in orthotopic heart transplant recipients. However, only a small number of individual case reports describe the electrical circuit and catheter ablation of atrial flutter after heart transplantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Detailed electrophysiologic evaluation and radiofrequency ablation of atrial flutter were performed in three patients after orthotopic heart transplantation. All cases involved a counterclockwise flutter circuit around the tricuspid annulus. All were successfully ablated at the isthmus between the tricuspid valve and the atrial anastomosis adjacent to the inferior vena cava. CONCLUSION: Atrial flutter involving a counterclockwise circuit around the tricuspid annulus is common in the heart transplant population. Based on the patients described in this study and other cases reported in the literature, this arrhythmia often is treated successfully by ablation of the isthmus between the tricuspid valve and the atrial anastomosis near the inferior vena cava.     

Myocarditis caused by Toxoplasma gondii and Aspergillus fumigatus after orthotopic heart transplantation

This report describes the case of a 56-year-old patient, who died 53 days after orthotopic heart transplantation due to myocarditis caused by infection with Aspergillus fumigatus and Toxoplasma gondii. Aspergillosis was diagnosed by transthoracic needle aspiration of a pulmonary infiltration. Endomyocardial biopsy showed toxoplasma pseudocysts. Autopsy revealed myocardial infection with both infectious agents. Despite specific therapy, myocarditis determined the fatal outcome in this case. The value of invasive techniques for specific diagnosis of infectious diseases in immunocompromised patients is discussed.     

Permanent and temporary pacemaker implantation after orthotopic heart transplantation

PURPOSE:To determine the indication for and incidence and evolution of temporary and permanent pacemaker implantation in cardiac transplant recipients. METHODS: A retrospective review of 114 patients who underwent orthotopic heart transplantation InCor (Heart Institute USP BR) between March 1985 and May 1993. We studied the incidence of and indication for temporary pacing, the relationship between pacing and rejection, the need for pemanent pacing and the clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Fourteen of 114 (12%)heart transplant recipients required temporary pacing and 4 of 114 (3.5%) patients required permanent pacing. The indication for temporary pacing was sinus node dysfunction in 11 patients (78.5%) and atrioventricular (AV) block in 3 patients (21.4%). The indication for permanent pacemaker implantation was sinus node dysfunction in 3 patients (75%) and atrioventricular (AV) block in 1 patient (25%). We observed rejection in 3 patients (21.4%) who required temporary pacing and in 2 patients (50%) who required permanent pacing. The previous use of amiodarone was observed in 10 patients (71.4%) with temporary pacing. Seven of the 14 patients (50%) died during follow-up. CONCLUSION: Sinus node dysfunction was the principal indication for temporary and permanent pacemaker implantation in cardiac transplant recipients. The need for pacing was related to worse prognosis after cardiac transplantation.     

Transesophageal echocardiographic findings in patients with orthotopic heart transplantation.

This study was performed to determine the diagnostic value of TEE in recipients of orthotopic heart transplantation. Findings on TEE were compared with those of TTE in 30 patients with orthotopic heart transplantation. Transesophageal echocardiography identified left atrial appendage and flow across the interatrial septum ... findings not detected by TTE. In addition, pronounced bulging of the interatrial septum was seen in six patients by TEE and not by TTE. Spontaneous echo contrast (smoke) in the atria was detected by TEE in 14 patients and by TTE in one patient. Abnormal geometry of the atria and donor-recipient atrial anastomosis was identified in all patients by TEE and TTE. Our findings suggest that TEE should be selectively utilized in the operating room, in patients with suspected atrial thrombi, and in those with clinically significant right ventricular volume overload to assess integrity of interatrial anastomosis.     

克山病患者心脏移植术后急性排异反应的监测

目的对３例重症克山病患者同种原位心脏移植术后进行监测,探讨心脏移植术后急性排异反应的监测指标。方法监测指标：临床症状;１２导联心电图;超声心动图;单光子计算机体层扫描;外周血Ｔ淋巴细胞检查;心内膜心肌活检;Ｘ线影像。结果行ＥＭＢ１９次,发现１ｂ级和２级各１次,３ａ级２次。３ａ级时ＵＣＧ发现心包积液有增加趋势,其余指标未见明显改变。结论心内膜心肌活检是诊断急性排异反应敏感可靠的指标,其它一些常用的指标不敏感且缺乏特异性,但可做为辅助指标。