Abstract 4140138: Coronary Artery Vasculopathy in a Cohort of 321 Heart Transplant Recipients: A Single Center Experience

Introduction: Despite advances in surgical techniques, organ preservation methods and immunosuppressant medications, the ten-year survival for orthotropic heart transplantation (OHT) remains around 50%. Coronary artery vasculopathy (CAV), among other factors, seems to have an important role in accelerated organ injury and failure. Aim: To determine the rate of survival and CAV development along with associated factors in a cohort of OHT recipients. Methods: Patients who underwent OHT at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) between October 2008 and September 2021 were retrospectively reviewed until June 2024. According to the VCU protocol, right heart biopsies were done weekly for the first month, every other week for the second month and at the first year mark post transplant. Left heart catheterizations were done one year after OHT and then at 2 year intervals. Survival, CAV development and need for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) as well as organ rejection rates in CAV patients were surveyed. Results: A total of 321 patients received OHT during that period with a median follow up time of 8.15 years from the date of transplant. Of these, 122 patients had 10-year follow up or more post OHT (53.27% survived) and 240 patients had 5-year follow up or more (66.25% survived). All patients had greater than 2.75 years of follow up. The overall mortality was 29.5%. CAV occurred in 55 patients out of 321 (17%) with median time of 2.82 years for CAV development. Mortality in the CAV group was 40% compared to 27% in the non-CAV group. Out of 55 patients with CAV, 19 required at least 1 PCI with 3 requiring interventions on chronic total occlusions. Evidence of rejection on right ventricle biopsy was observed in 51% of patients with CAV Conclusion: Our cohort had above average 10-year survival rate compared to the national data. Results revealed CAV is common post OHT and has implications on long term survival. Given CAV may develop in the absence of organ rejection, further studies are needed to identify factors associated with CAV and explore optimal treatment options that would potentially improve long-term survival post OHT.