Heart Transplants and Hepatitis C

You’d think it would be a bad idea to transplant a heart from a donor infected with hepatitis C. But apparently, it’s considered acceptable if the heart transplant recipient is older or already infected with the hepatitis C virus.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that regardless of the recipient’s original health status, a heart transplant from a hepatitis C positive donor results in lower survival for the recipient.

• 16.9% of recipients of virus-tainted hearts died after one year as compared to 8.2% of those who received non-infected hearts
• 25% of hepatitis C-infected heart recipients were alive after 10 years compared to 53% of those who received hearts free of the virus

For patients who are on life support and have limited time, a hepatitis C positive heart might be considered a “justified risk.” For others, it’s still best wait until new ways can be found to make infected hearts safe for transplant.

Forbes.com, October 17, 2006