Late graft failure in heart transplant recipients: incidence, risk factors and clinical outcomes

Aim To analyse the incidence, risk factors and clinical outcomes of late graft failure after heart transplantation. Methods and results We conducted an observational, single‐centre study based on 547 patients who underwent cardiac transplantation from 1991 to 2014 and who survived the in‐hospital postoperative period. Late graft failure was defined as the first hospitalization due to this condition after discharge. Over a mean follow‐up of 8.4 ± 6 years, 178 (32.5%) patients were hospitalized due to late graft failure [incidence rate: 3.6 cases per 100 patient‐years, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.1–4.2]. Pre‐transplant diabetes, higher pre‐transplant transpulmonary pressure gradient and lower donor–recipient weight ratio were independently associated with higher risk of graft failure. Cardiac allograft vasculopathy, cellular rejection grade ≥1R, and antibody‐mediated rejection grade ≥1 were detected in 50.6%, 44.9% and 19.2% patients, respectively, admitted due to graft failure. Left ventricular ejection fraction was ≥50% in 60.1% of these patients. Re‐transplant free survival 1, 5, 10 and 15 years after the diagnosis of late graft failure was 72.2%, 38.4%, 18.4%, and 7.5%, respectively; the incidence rate of re‐hospitalization due to decompensated heart failure was 40.9 episodes per 100 patient‐years (95% CI 36.6–46.1). The need for inotropes, the presence of cardiac allograft vasculopathy, higher creatinine serum levels, lower ejection fraction and lower sodium serum levels were independent predictors of worse outcomes. Conclusions Late graft failure is frequent after heart transplantation, as it is associated with poor outcomes. Rejection and cardiac allograft vasculopathy are the most frequent underlying causes.