AIMS: To evaluate differences in post-transplant outcomes by pre-transplant urgency status, focusing on early post-transplant infection and its contribution to mortality. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 801 adult heart transplant recipients enrolled in the Korea Organ Transplant Registry (April 2014-December 2021). Recipients were classified as Status 0 (highest urgency; n=287) and Status 1-3 (n=514). Outcomes included all-cause mortality, post-transplant infection, acute allograft rejection, and cardiac allograft vasculopathy up to 5 years. Mediation, landmark, and multivariable time-dependent Cox models assessed the impact and determinants of infection. RESULTS: During 5-year follow-up, 128 recipients (16.0%) died. Status 0 recipients had higher mortality than Status 1-3 recipients (28.0% vs. 13.5%; P 24 hours) remained the strongest predictor. CONCLUSION: Status 0 heart transplant recipients had higher mortality and early post-transplant infection risk than Status 1-3 recipients. Early infection, largely associated with greater clinical severity and prolonged mechanical ventilation, may explain the excess mortality in this high-urgency group.
Lee et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: