COVID-19 vaccines improve outcomes for heart transplant patients

Clinicians should make sure all heart transplant patients receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new analysis published in JAMA Cardiology.[1]

The study included data from 436 patients who underwent an orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) at a single U.S. heart transplant program from January 2021 to January 2022. The mean age was 54 years old and 69.5% were men. Eighty-four percent of patients were vaccinated, leaving 16% who were not vaccinated.

“Unvaccinated patients were younger, had better kidney function and had slightly higher diastolic blood pressure, but were otherwise similar in demographics, comorbidities, immunosuppression regimen and cardiac medications,” wrote lead author Laura L. Peters, DNP, FNP, division of cardiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and colleagues.

Overall, the rates of COVID-19 infections (19.7% vs. 48.6%), hospitalizations (4.1% vs. 14.3%), ICU admissions (1.1% vs. 4.3%) and deaths (0.8% vs. 4.3%) were all much lower among vaccinated OHT patients and unvaccinated OHT patients.

Among vaccinated patients, the authors added, “there was no echocardiographic evidence of graft dysfunction, clinically significant rejection or allosensitization” six months after being vaccinated.

The team also explored data from OHT patients treated at the same facility from March 2020 to January 2021, before COVID-19 vaccines were available. Of the patients infected with COVID-19 prior to vaccine availability, 37% required hospitalization, 17% required ICU admission and 15% died.