Impact of postoperative pulmonary hypertension on outcome after heart transplantation

Objectives: We wanted to investigate the effects of postoperative pulmonary hypertension (PH_postop: mean pulmonary artery pressure [MPAP]?≥?25?mmHg), diastolic pressure gradient (DPG), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and repeated hemodynamic measurements on long-term survival after heart transplantation (HT).

Design: Eighty-nine patients who underwent HT at Skåne University Hospital in Lund in the period 1988–2010 and who were evaluated with right-heart-catheterization at rest, prior to HT and repeatedly during the first postoperative year, were grouped based on their MPAP, DPG, and PVR.

Results: One year after HT, survival was lower in patients with PH_postop than in those without, in patients with DPG?≥7?mmHg than in those with DPG?<7?mmHg, and in patients with PVR?>3 WU than in those with PVR?≤3 WU. Moreover, compared to patients with no PH_postop or with PH_postop at one evaluation during the first year after HT, PH_postop at repeated evaluations was associated with higher mortality (hazard ratio 3.4, 95% CI 1.4–8.0). There was no significant difference in acute cellular rejection between patients with and without PH_postop, but postoperative kidney function was worse in patients with repeated PH_postop.

Conclusions: When defined according to present guidelines, PH one year after HT may emerge as a prognostic marker for long-term outcome after HT. Moreover, PH_postop at repeated evaluations during the first year after HT had stronger prognostic value than PH_postop at a single examination, illustrating a means of identifying a high-risk population. However, confirmation in larger multi-center studies is warranted.