Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41075114›Full record

ArticleGeneral thoracic and cardiovascular surgery2026

Outcomes of heart transplantation using ECMO-supported donation in brain dead donors.

Soojin Lee, Seunghwan Song, Hye Won Lee, Harin Rhee, Soo Yong Lee, Kyung-Hee Kim

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Article in General thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Soojin LeeDepartment of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, 179 Gudeok-Ro, Seo-Gu, Busan, 49241, South Korea.
Seunghwan SongDepartment of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, 179 Gudeok-Ro, Seo-Gu, Busan, 49241, South Korea. song77.sh@gmail.com.
Hye Won LeeDivision of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, South Korea.
Harin RheeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, South Korea.
Soo Yong LeeDivision of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, and Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, South Korea.
Kyung-Hee KimDivision of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Incheon Sejong Hospital, Incheon, South Korea.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn South Korea, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used as a bridge to optimize utilization of heart obtained from donors after brain death. However, the heart utilization rate and the effectiveness of ECMO in donation after brain death (DBD) donors, prior to donation, remain unclear. This study aimed to analyze the early postoperative outcomes of recipients who received hearts from DBD donors supported by ECMO, and to identify the factors associated with successful transplantation outcomes.

methodsDonors who received ECMO support were divided into two groups, one, whose hearts were successfully transplanted (n = 3), and the other, whose hearts were not utilized for transplantation (n = 13), at our institution between 2013 and 2024. Preoperative donor characteristics of the two donor groups were compared to identify the factors influencing successful heart transplantation. Recipients' preoperative, intraoperative findings, and 1-year postoperative outcomes were analyzed.

resultsAmong 190 DBD donors, 16 (8.4%), supported by ECMO, were grouped. The transplanted heart rate in this group was 18.8% (3 out of 16 ECMO-supported potential donors). The 1-year graft survival and recipient survival rates were 100%. The transplanted donor group tended to be younger than the non-transplanted group, with a median age difference of 26 years (p = 0.031).

conclusionPrior to donation, ECMO can be effectively used in brain-dead donors, to improve the rate of heart transplants. The postoperative outcomes of recipients, who received hearts procured from ECMO-supported donors, were satisfactory. Among ECMO-supported DBD donors, the median age tended to be lower in the transplanted donor group.

Indexed as

Brain DeathExtracorporeal Membrane OxygenationHeart TransplantationTissue DonorsAdolescentAdultFemaleGraft SurvivalHumansMaleMiddle AgedRepublic of KoreaRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsTime FactorsTreatment OutcomeBrain deathDonorExtracorporeal membrane oxygenationHeart transplantationKorea

Identifiers

PMID41075114
PMCPMC12957031

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