Heart Transplant Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Heart Transplant, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery, organ donation.

Successful ablation of atrioventricular accessory pathway after cardiac transplantation.

Conraads V, Vorlat A, Miljoen H, De Paep R, Rodrigus I, Vrints C

Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650 Edegem, Belguim. Viviane.Conraads@uza.be

Liberalization of stringent guidelines regarding donor selection is acceptable in the case of critical recipient condition. Few cardiac allografts with preexisting accessory atrioventricular pathways have been implanted. We describe the successful radiofrequency modification of the atrioventricular node and ablation of an accessory pathway after cardiac transplantation. Although the previously healthy donor had no history of arrhythmia, the recipient's postoperative course was characterized by multiple bouts of reentry tachycardia. The highly successful catheter-based ablation techniques available to cure this condition favor the use of donor hearts with a preexisting accessory pathway.

Published 1 August 2005 in Transpl Int, 17(12): 872-6.
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