Assessing donor‐recipient size metrics for heart transplant outcomes: UNOS database analysis

Study There is no widely accepted donor to recipient size‐match metric to predict outcomes in cardiac transplant. The predictive ability of size‐match metrics has not been studied when recipients are stratified by heart failure etiology. We sought to assess the performance of commonly used size metrics to predict survival after heart transplant, accounting for restrictive versus non‐restrictive pathology. Methods The UNOS registry was queried from 2000 to 2017 for all primary isolated heart transplants. Donor‐recipient ratios were calculated for commonly used size metrics and their association with survival was assessed using continuous, nonlinear analysis. Results 29 817 patients were identified. Height (P