Heart transplant systolic and diastolic function is impaired by prolonged pretransplant graft ischaemic time and high donor age: an echocardiographic study

Due to the need for suitable donors for heart transplantation (HTx), older grafts and grafts with prolonged graft ischaemic time (GIT) are accepted. The impact of GIT and donor age on post-transplant cardiac function has not been examined with either newer echocardiographic techniques (tissue Doppler imaging, TDI) or cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Thus, we studied the influence of GIT and donor age on post-transplant cardiac function and exercise capacity.