Ex Vivo Heart Perfusion for Cardiac Transplantation Allowing for Prolonged Perfusion Time and Extension of Distance Traveled for Procurement of Donor Hearts: An Initial Experience in the United States

Scarcity of donor hearts continues to be a challenge for heart transplantation (HT). The recently Food and Drug Administration–approved Organ Care System (OCS; Heart, TransMedics) for ex vivo organ perfusion enables extension of ex situ intervals and thus may expand the donor pool. Because postapproval real-world outcomes of OCS in HT are lacking, we report our initial experience. METHODS. We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who received HT at our institution in the post–Food and Drug Administration approval period from May 1 to October 15, 2022. Patients were divided into 2 groups: OCS versus conventional technique. Baseline characteristics and outcomes were compared. RESULTS. A total of 21 patients received HT during this period, 8 using OCS and 13 conventional techniques. All hearts were from donation after brain death donors. The indication for OCS was an expected ischemic time of >4 h. Baseline characteristics in the 2 groups were comparable. The mean distance traveled for heart recovery was significantly higher in the OCS group (OCS, 845 ± 337, versus conventional, 186 ± 188 mi; P < 0.001), as was the mean total preservation time (6.5 ± 0.7 versus 2.5 ± 0.7 h; P < 0.001). The mean OCS time was 5.1 ± 0.7 h. In-hospital survival in the OCS group was 100% compared with 92.3% in the conventional group (P = 0.32). Primary graft dysfunction was similar in both groups (OCS 12.5% versus conventional 15.4%; P = 0.85). No patient in the OCS group required venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support after transplant compared with 1 in the conventional group (0% versus 7.7%; P = 0.32). The mean intensive care unit length of stay after transplant was comparable. CONCLUSIONS. OCS allowed utilization of donors from extended distances that otherwise would not be considered because ischemic time would be prohibitive by conventional technique.