Natural Course for Renal Function After Heart Transplantation

The investigators conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who received a first heart transplant at the NTUH(Taiwan) between 1987 and 2015 . Clinical data were obtained and a retrospective chart review, and were collected up to 10 years .

Data was collected from medical records and the heart transplant electronic database including: demographic parameters such as age and gender; etiology of heart failure; the presence of any of the following comorbidities: history of smoking, diabetes, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease and previous sternotomy; pre-transplant cholesterol levels; the use of any of the following pretransplant hemodynamic support measures:intravenous inotropes, intra-aortic balloon pump and ventricular assist device;creatinine levels; listing status according to the UNOS classification; waiting time; heart ischemic time;immunosuppression drug levels(cyclosporine,prograft or certican) and development of end stage renal disease requiring onset of dialysis therapy.

Creatinine levels and GFRwere collected before transplantation and then the closest level to every month after heart transplant.

The clinical outcomes of interest analyzed in this study included the development of post-transplant end stage renal disease and death.