Heart Transplantation in Children with Turner Syndrome: Analysis of a Linked Dataset

Turner syndrome (TS) patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) have poor single ventricle palliation outcomes; therefore, consideration of other potential management strategies is important. Little is known about heart transplantation (HTx) in this group, as standard HTx databases do not allow for identification of TS. This study describes experiences and outcomes of HTx in TS using a unique linkage between the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients and the Pediatric Health Information System databases. All pediatric HTx recipients (2002-2016) with TS were identified in the database using ICD-9 code 758.6 (gonadal dysgenesis) in conjunction with female sex. Patient characteristics and outcomes were described. Fourteen patients with TS were identified who underwent 16 HTx procedures at eight centers. For initial HTx, HLHS was the most common indication (10/14) with a median age of 10 months (IQR 3-73 months). Median transplant-free survival following initial HTx was 4.1 years (IQR 16 days-10.5 years), with all deaths occurring in the first year post-HTx. For patients that survived past 1 year (8/14), follow-up ranged from 4.1 to 10.9 years (median 8.0 years) with no deaths observed. Our cohort demonstrates that while there is a clear risk for early mortality, there is the potential for favorable outcomes following HTx in patients with TS. Therefore, TS should not be viewed as an absolute contraindication to HTx, but careful assessment of candidate risk is needed. Primary palliation with HTx for HLHS and TS may be a reasonable consideration given the poor outcomes of single ventricle palliation in this group. Further research is needed to fully delineate the outcomes and characteristics of this unique population.