Donor-recipient size matching and mortality in heart transplantation: Influence of body mass index and gender.

Abstract

The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) guidelines advise against inappropriate weight match (IWM) for heart transplant, defined as donor weight <70% of recipient's weight. Few studies have explored in detail this size-matching recommendation, especially with regard to body mass index (BMI) and gender matching. We aimed to determine whether any difference could be observed between size-matching in obese and non-obese recipients with regard to mortality after cardiac transplantation.