Early postoperative complications in heart transplant patients hospitalised in the intensive care unit

Introduction
Heart transplantation remains the most effective therapy for end-stage heart failure. Despite medical and surgical progress, early complications remain a challenge. Aim of research: To identify early postoperative complications and the factors that distinguish them.

Material and methods
The study employed the method of documentoscopy, utilising quantitative and descriptive analysis techniques. Data were collected using the author’s questionnaire, which was based on the analysis of patients’ medical records – completed by nurses and doctors – and direct observation of patients treated in the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care. The data collection covered the years 2019 to 2023. Analysed variables included demographic data, details of the surgical procedure, postoperative parameters, assessment methods, haemodynamic support, volume of transfused blood products and their components, pharmacotherapy and immunosuppressive treatment, length of hospitalisation, and complications.

Results
In the early postoperative period after heart transplantation (HTX), the most common complications were respiratory failure and cardiac arrhythmias. Patients with cardiac arrhythmias, infection, acute kidney injury (AKI), and respiratory failure were hospitalised for longer periods. Blood product transfusions are affected by haemoglobin values and the amount of drainage. Age over 50 years is associated with an increased risk of infection after surgery. The need for mechanical support of circulation before HTX reduces the risk of cardiac arrhythmias after surgery.

Conclusions
Drainage volume, diuresis volume, central venous pressure, surgery time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and clamping time of the recipient’s aorta significantly affected postoperative complications.