Science / Medicine : Heart Transplants Found Viable Option for Children

Heart transplantation is a reasonable option for certain young patients with terminal cardiac disease, according to a study of 15 years of pediatric heart transplantation at Stanford University.

The study, published in the August issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, showed that an additional five years of life can be expected in 70% of patients, and more than 12 years is a reasonable possibility.

Fifty-three patients who received transplants at Stanford between 1974 and 1989 were analyzed in the study. Most had not been expected to live more than six to 12 months. Cumulative survival after the transplants was 79% at one year, 76% at three years and 69% at five years. Fourteen recipients have survived more than five years.

The researchers said 24 children who had received a heart transplant before the age of 14 had no evidence of coronary artery disease during a five-year follow-up. That is a marked improvement over adult transplant patients.