SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES OF HEART TRANSPLANT FROM DONATION AFTER CIRCULATORY DEATH VERSUS DONATION AFTER BRAIN DEATH.

Background and Aim: This study aims to compare the short-term outcomes of heart transplant (HT) from donors who died from brain death (DBD) versus those who died from circulatory death (DCD). Methods: This study includes adult patients who underwent HT from January 2023 to July 2024. Recipient characteristics, operative times, postoperative data, and length of hospital stay were compared. Results: A total of 34 patients were included (n=5 DCD, n=29 DBD). The two groups had similar median age (DBD 59 vs DCD 57; p=0.4). The cold ischemia time (DBD 170 min, DCD 84 min; p=0.002), cardiopulmonary bypass (DBD 156 min, DCD 171 min; p 0.6), cross-clamping (DBD 73 min, DCD 75 min; p=0.66), and total surgery time (DBD 390 min, DCD 318 min; p=0.05) were compared. No differences in median postoperative Vasoactive-Inotropic Score (p=0.94), duration of invasive ventilation (p=0.18), postoperative dialysis (p=0.22), major infections (p=0.19), and cellular rejection (>/=2) at the first biopsy post-transplant (DBD 34%, DCD 20%; p=0.47) were found. Finally, no differences were noted concerning ICU stay or overall hospital stay (p=0.2 and 0.3, respectively). Conclusions: Our results indicate that the ischemia time and the overall duration of the procedure were lower in the HT from DCD compared to DBD (potentially due to heart retrieval from DCD more often done in the same institution of the recipients, and the lower number of reintervention). First results indicate no differences in short term outcome between HT from DCD and DBD.