A Single-Center Experience With En-Bloc Combined Heart+Liver Transplantation: Analysis of Eight Cases, Including Two Heart+Liver+Kidney Transplants

ObjectivesReview our clinical experience with eight patients at the University of Florida undergoing En-bloc combined heart+liver transplantation (ECH + LTX).MethodsContinuous variables are reported as median (interquartile range = IQR) and categorical variables are reported as N (%).ResultsEight patients underwent ECH + LTX between August 2020 and May 2023 at the University of Florida, with triple heart+liver+kidney transplantation performed in 2/8 = 25%. Median age at ECH + LTX was 47.34 years (IQR = 33.66-53.37), and all eight patients were >18 years of age. Six out of eight patients (75%) had congenital heart disease (CHD): one had biventricular CHD and five had functionally univentricular circulation and Fontan failure. Two out of eight patients (25%) had structurally normal hearts and acquired heart disease: one patient with hemochromatosis and combined cardiac and hepatic failure with nonischemic restrictive cardiomyopathy and one patient with nonischemic cardiomyopathy and alcoholic cirrhosis. Median wait list time was 93 days (IQR = 27.50-176.25). Three patients (3/8 = 37.5%) were supported with an intra-aortic balloon pump prior to ECH + LTX, and two of these three patients were subsequently also supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation secondary to progressive decompensation prior to ECH + LTX. Median hospital length of stay was 147 days. Median posttransplant length of stay was of 29 days. Seven of eight patients survived ECH + LTX and are alive today. One patient died two days after ECH + LTX. Mean length of follow-up after ECH + LTX of seven surviving patients (years) is 3.60 ± 0.38 (median = 3.79, IQR = 3.05-4.38, range = 1.91-4.64).ConclusionEn-bloc heart-liver transplantation is an effective treatment option for patients with combined heart and liver failure.