Surgical Complications in Heart Transplant Recipients: A Single Center Experience.
- Author:
Kook Yang PARK
1
;
Chul Hyun PARK
;
Yang Bin JEON
;
Chang Hyu CHOI
;
Jae Ik LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Gil Heart Center, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Korea. kkyypark@gilhospital.com
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Heart transplantation;
Complication
- MeSH:
Abscess;
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip;
Cardiomyopathies;
Cardiomyopathy, Dilated;
Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic, Familial;
Cholecystectomy;
Drainage;
Gingival Hypertrophy;
Gingivectomy;
Heart;
Heart Transplantation;
Hemorrhage;
Humans;
Hysterectomy;
Incidence;
Intervertebral Disc;
Myoma;
Pericardial Window Techniques;
Postoperative Complications;
Rejection (Psychology);
Transplants;
Urinary Bladder Calculi;
Urinary Calculi;
Uterus
- From:The Korean Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
2009;42(6):719-724
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: As the patients who undergo heart transplantation have achieved better survival in recent years, a growing number of recipients are at a risk for experiencing surgical complications in addition to rejection and infection. In this paper, we report on our experience with the surgical complications that occurred in heart transplant recipients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From April 1994 to September 2003, 37 heart transplantations were performed at our center by a single surgeon. The indications for transplantation were dilated cardiomyopathy, ischemic cardiomyopathy, valvular cardiomyopathy and familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. RESULT: Twenty postoperative complications required surgeries in 15 patients (41%). The types of operations required were; redo-sternotomy for bleeding (5), pericardiostomy for effusion (4), implantation of a permanent pacemaker (1), right lower lobe lobectomy for aspergilloma (1), removal of urinary stone (1), cholecystectomy for gall bladder stone (1), drainage of a perianal abscess (1), paranasal sinus drainage (1), total hip replacement (1), partial gingivectomy due to gingival hypertrophy (1), urethrostomy (1), herniated intervertebral disc operation (1) and total hysterectomy for myoma uteri (1). The locations of the complications were mediastinal in 10 (27%) cases and extramediastinal in 10 (27%) cases. CONCLUSION: The relatively high incidence of extrathoracic complications associated with heart transplantation emphasizes the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the improve long-term survival when managing those complex patients.
