General Criteria
The factors below are potential contraindications subject to the judgment of the transplant center:
- Known current malignancy, including metastatic cancer; or
- Recent malignancy with high risk of recurrence; or
- Untreated systemic infection making immunosuppression unsafe, including chronic infection; or
- Other irreversible end-stage diseases not attributed to heart or lung disease; or
- History of cancer with a moderate risk of recurrence; or
- Systemic disease that could be exacerbated by immunosuppression; or
- Psychosocial conditions or chemical dependency affecting ability to adhere to therapy.
Heart/Lung-Specific Criteria
When the candidate is eligible to receive a heart in accordance with United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) guidelines for cardiac transplantation, the lung(s) shall be allocated to the heart/lung candidate from the same donor. When the candidate is eligible to receive a lung in accordance with the UNOS Lung Allocation System, the heart shall be allocated to the heart/lung candidate from the same donor "after the heart has been offered to all heart and heart-lung potential transplant recipients in allocation classifications 1 through 4". Candidates with allocation classifications 1 through 4 fall within adult status 1 or 2 or pediatric status 1A.
Specific criteria for prioritizing donor thoracic organs for transplant are provided by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and implemented through a contract with UNOS. Donor thoracic organs are prioritized by UNOS on the basis of recipient medical urgency, distance from donor hospital, and pediatric status. Individuals who are most severely ill are given highest priority.
The following factors are considered in assessing the severity of cardiac illness: reliance on continuous mechanical ventilation, infusion of intravenous inotropes, and/or dependency on mechanical circulatory support (i.e., total artificial heart, intra-aortic balloon pump, extracorporeal membrane oxygenator, ventricular assist device). Factors considered in assessing the severity of pulmonary illness include increased pulmonary artery systolic pressure, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and/or elevated pulmonary vascular resistance.
Additional criteria may be considered in pediatric individuals, including diagnosis of an OPTN-approved congenital heart disease diagnosis, presence of ductal dependent pulmonary or systemic circulation, and diagnosis of hypertrophic or restrictive cardiomyopathy while less than 1-year-old.Of note, pediatric heart transplant candidates who remain on the waiting list at the time of their 18th birthday without receiving a transplant continue to qualify for medical urgency status based on the pediatric criteria.
Individuals who are considered temporarily unsuitable to receive a thoracic organ transplant may be assigned an inactive status
