Contemporary Indications for Heart-Lung Transplantation

Purpose Currently, there are patients who meet criteria for lung transplant who are denied listing because of underlying heart disease. Likewise, there are patients who meet criteria for heart transplant but are denied listing because of lung disease. In addition, end-stage pulmonary hypertension has become more commonly treated with bilateral lung transplantation. From 2006 to 2018, no adult heart-lung transplantation (HLT) was performed in New York State. Given this unmet need our center has renewed interest in HLT. Methods All patients who underwent HLT from 06/2019 to 09/2020 were reviewed. Patients were listed per standard UNOS guidelines. The primary outcome was hospital and 1year survival. Results 10 patients (50% male; mean age 54±8 years) underwent HLT during this period. All patients had been deemed not appropriate candidates for isolated heart or lung transplant at more than one transplant center. The indication for HLT was interstitial lung disease (ILD) with ischemic cardiomyopathy (n=4), nonischemic cardiomyopathy with PAH (n=2), PAH with RV failure (n=2), and ILD with RV failure (n=2). Median lung allocation score and heart waitlist status were 71 (IQR: 41-85) and 2 (IQR: 1-3) respectively. Three patients had re-operative sternotomies. Two patients bridged to transplant with VA-ECMO, two with VV-ECMO and three patients required IABP. One patient received a DCD donor heart-lung block utilizing normothermic regional perfusion, and two patients received Hep C+ donor organs. One patient was left on central VA-ECMO postoperatively for early lung PGD. No lung PGD grade 3 at 72 hours or significant heart PGD at any time point were observed. At a median follow up of 287 (IQR: 108-401 days), all patients are alive at home. Conclusion Our initial center experience demonstrates that appropriately selected patients with end stage heart and lung disease who would otherwise die without transplantation can be offered HLT with excellent short-term outcomes.