Portable Normothermic Cardiac Perfusion System in Donation After Cardiocirculatory Death: A Health Technology Assessment

Methods

We performed a systematic review of the clinical literature published since 1998 that examined the clinical safety and effectiveness of a portable normothermic cardiac perfusion system for DCD heart transplantation. We assessed the risk of bias of each included study and the quality of the body of evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group criteria. We also reviewed the economic evidence published during the same time period for the cost-effectiveness of a portable normothermic cardiac perfusion system for DCD hearts compared with cold storage for NDD hearts. We further estimated the 5-year net budget impact of publicly funding a normothermic cardiac perfusion system for DCD heart transplantation for adults on Ontario’s waitlist. To contextualize the potential value of a portable normothermic cardiac perfusion system, we spoke with people waiting for a heart transplant, people who had received a heart transplant, and family members of organ donors.

Results

We screened 2,386 clinical citations. One study and two case reports met the inclusion criteria. The survival of recipients of DCD hearts procured with a portable normothermic cardiac perfusion system did not differ significantly from the survival of recipients of hearts donated after NDD at 30 days or 90 days, nor was there a significant difference in cumulative survival at 1 year post-transplant (GRADE: Very Low). The occurrence of rejection and graft failure also did not significantly differ between the groups (GRADE: Very Low). Cardiac function in the early post-operative period was better in DCD hearts than NDD hearts (GRADE: Very Low). There were no differences in outcomes between DCD procurement techniques.

The economic literature search yielded 62 citations. One report met the inclusion criteria but was not directly applicable to the Ontario context. Given the lack of clinical and economic evidence on long-term outcomes, we did not conduct a primary economic evaluation. In the budget impact analysis, based on the number of DCD donors under 40 years of age in the last 5 years, we estimated that the increased availability of donor hearts made possible by the technology would result in an additional seven transplants in year 1, increasing to 12 in year 5. The annual net budget impact of publicly funding a normothermic cardiac perfusion system for the transplantation of DCD hearts in Ontario over the next 5 years is about $2.0 million in the first year and about $0.9 million in each of years 2 through 5, yielding a total net budget impact of about $5.6 million. This number increases to about $10.3 million if the transplant volume increases to 18 hearts in year 1 (meaning a subsequent increase of up to 21 hearts in year 5). If transplantation were limited to people who do not qualify for a ventricular assistive device or who qualify but do not wish to receive one, the total 5-year net budget impact would be about $7.9 million.

People waiting for a heart transplant or who had received a heart transplant and family members of organ donors expressed no substantial concerns about the potential use of a portable normothermic cardiac perfusion system. They hope that it may increase the number of donor hearts available for transplant. For family members of organ donors, a perfusion system may provide comfort and value if it can increase the successful procurement of donor hearts.