Original Works: Case ReportsHeart91-Year-Old Allograft: Oldest Surviving Donor Heart Still Going: A Case Report

- Over the past few decades, there has been a worsening supply/demand mismatch given the rising epidemic of heart failure and the relatively fixed availability of donor hearts.
- The study patient was a 30-year-old woman who was transplanted a 68-year-old donor heart, surviving 23 years with no major cardiac problems. To our knowledge, she has one of the oldest surviving donor hearts (91-year-old heart).
- Review of the latest guidelines and studies has shown a gradual expansion of donor criteria to meet this critical shortage of donor organs.

For patients with end-stage heart failure, heart transplantation remains one of the most successful therapies with excellent long-term survival rates. However, over the past few decades, there has been a worsening supply/demand mismatch given the rising epidemic of heart failure and the relatively fixed availability of donor hearts. In this case report, we describe the case of a 30-year-old woman who underwent transplantation with a 68-year-old donor heart and who has survived for 23 years without any major cardiac problems. To our knowledge, this patient has one of the oldest surviving donor hearts (91-year-old heart). Review of the latest guidelines and recent studies have demonstrated a gradual expansion of donor criteria to meet this critical shortage of donor organs.