Does ABO-incompatible and ABO-compatible neonatal heart transplant have equivalent survival?

A best evidence topic (BET) in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether ABO-incompatible (ABO-I) heart transplant recipients have a similar survival rate as an ABO-compatible (ABO-C) transplant in the pediatric population <1 year of age. Altogether more than 112 papers were found using the reported search, of which 10 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. Generally, ABO-I transplantation has been associated with the neonatal population because of the relative immaturity of the immune system for the first year of life. In the BET the search-term 'pediatric' was used as a method to ensure retrieval all relevant papers. However, the vast majority of the patients reviewed were <1 year of age with specific techniques undertaken to modulate preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative isohemagglutinin titer levels with rejection monitoring. Therefore, the BET conclusions should not be applied to the pediatric group as a broad age classification. Two large series are of particular interest. Patel et al. reviewed all primary heart transplantation recipients < or =1 year of age in the United Network for Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (UNOS/OPTN) registry (ABO-I=35 vs. ABO-C=556). There was no difference in 30-day mortality (ABO-I=5.9% vs. ABO-C=8.8%; P=0.55); one-year mortality (ABO-I=16.6% vs. ABO-C=14.7%; P=0.77); graft rejection (ABO-I=1 vs. ABO-C=0); and graft failure (ABO-I=24% vs. ABO-C=24%; P>0.99). Three-year Kaplan-Meier survival was 70% (P=0.85). Propensity score adjusted analysis did not implicate ABO-I as a predictor of mortality [hazard ratio (HR)=3.6, confidence interval (CI): 0.2-49.0; P=0.33]. The ABO-I group demonstrated an increased need for pacemaker (ABO-I=3.1% vs. ABO-C=0.4%; P=0.03) and higher stroke rate (ABO-I=12.9% vs. ABO-C=1.3%; P<0.0001). Dipchand et al. published the results of the Toronto cohort from 1992 to 2006 (ABO-I=16 vs. ABO-C=38). The median age at transplantation (ABO-I=88 days vs. ABO-C=84 days; P=0.82) and the number of neonatal transplant recipients (ABO-I=17% vs. ABO-C=22%; P=0.59) was similar. The freedom from post-transplantation death or retransplantation was equivalent at one year (ABO-I=77% vs. ABO-C=84%) and seven years (ABO-I=74% vs. ABO-C=74%; P=0.87). No significant difference was observed for the five-year freedom from: rejection (ABO-I=60% vs. ABO-C=45%; P=0.41); renal dysfunction (ABO-I=67% vs. ABO-C=72%; P=0.70); allograft vasculopathy (ABO-I=87% vs. ABO-C=78%; P=0.45); and post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) (ABO-I=87% vs. ABO-C=86%; P=0.93). We conclude that ABO-I transplantation is comparable to ABO-C transplantation, with several retrospective papers concluding there is no difference in mortality, morbidity or graft failure in the pediatric population <1 year of age.