One heart in 3 patients.

Planinc, Mislav; Mihaljevic, Tomislav; Jarrett, Craig M; Smedira, Nicholas G; Starling, Randall C · Ann Thorac Surg · 2012

case_report · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

In this report, we present a successful reuse of a transplanted heart under complex clinical conditions. Our patient was the second recipient, a 63-year-old man with end-stage heart failure due to amyloid-induced cardiomyopathy. After an uneventful postoperative course, he was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia 6 months after transplantation and died 10 months after transplantation. This outcome was determined by a malignancy in an immunosuppressed patient. Reuse of a transplanted heart in carefully selected patients is a possible alternative in an era of donor organ shortage.

Medical subject headings