Heart transplantation in Japan: A critical appraisal for the results and future prospects

As of September 30, 2011, a total of 113 patients with end-stage heart failure underwent heart transplantation in Japan, and the early and late (10 years) survival rates appear better than those reported in 2011 by the Registry of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT). Among the risk factors determining survival, use of both left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) during the pretransplant care and marginal donor hearts increased the risk while factors favoring survival included younger adult recipients and fewer patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy; factors noted in Japanese patients in comparison with those registered in the ISHLT report. Although only a few patients have reached 10 years follow-up, so far none has died or required retransplantation due to cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). CAV may develop later in Japanese heart transplant patients than in those of mixed inter-ethnic transplants. Recently, survival rates with newer LVADs have dramatically improved and therefore, selection criteria for the permanent or destination use of an LVAD or for heart transplantation require further evaluation, depending upon the various factors in candidates with profound heart failure. © The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery 2012.