• Rochus K Voeller, Deirdre J Epstein, Tracey J Guthrie, Sanjiv K Gandhi, Charles E Canter, and Charles B Huddleston.
• Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
• Ann. Thorac. Surg. 2012 Sep 1;94(3):807-15; discussion 815-6.

BackgroundHeart transplantation is the only viable treatment for children with end-stage heart failure due to congenital heart disease (CHD) or cardiomyopathy. This study reviewed the trends in the indications for transplant and survival after transplant during the past 24 years.MethodsA retrospective review was performed of the 307 heart transplants performed at our center since 1986. To analyze the trends in the indications for transplant as well as operative death and late-survival, the data were divided into three periods in 8-year increments: 1986 to 1993 (50 patients), 1994 to 2001 (116 patients), and 2002 to 2009 (141 patients).ResultsThe indications for transplantation were 39% cardiomyopathy, 57% CHD, and 4% retransplant. Of the 173 with CHD, 139 (80%) had single-ventricle (SV) anomalies. In the CHD group, transplantation for failed SV palliation, including Fontan procedure, became the predominant indication in the last 8-year interval of our program. Survival after transplant was the best in patients with cardiomyopathy and the worst in patients with failed palliations for SV anomalies, including failed Fontan procedures.ConclusionsTransplantation for heart failure related to failed SV palliation has become the most common indication for patients with CHD. The high-risk nature of these transplants will have significant implications for heart transplant programs as more infants with SV anomalies survive palliative procedures performed during infancy.Copyright © 2012 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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