Paediatric heart transplantation: life-saving but not yet a cure

Abstract

In the 1980s, heart transplantation was the first successful treatment for infants born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Infants who have required heart transplantation benefit from immunologic “advantages,” including long-term survival free from cardiac allograft vasculopathy. Currently ∼ 90% of children undergoing a heart transplant are reaching their first-year anniversary and the clinical practices of paediatric heart transplantation have dramatically improved. These successes are largely attributed to research sponsored by the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study Group, the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation and, more recently, the Non-profits Enduring Hearts and Additional Ventures. Despite these successes, the field is challenged to increase progress to achieve long-term survival into adulthood. The wait-list mortality, especially among infants, is unacceptably high often leading to palliative measures that can increase post-transplant mortality. Cardiac allograft vasculopathy remains a major cause for progressive graft loss of function and sudden death. The relative tolerance seen in immature recipients has not been translated to modifying older recipients’ post-transplant outcomes. The modifiable cause(s) for the increased risks of transplantation in children of different ethnicities and races require definition. Addressing these challenges faces the reality that for-profit research favours funding adult recipients, with ∼ 10-fold greater numbers, and their more modest longevity goals. Advocacy for funding “incentives” such as the Orphan Drug rules in the United States and upholding principles of equity and inclusion are critical to addressing the challenges of paediatric heart transplant recipients worldwide.