A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that the chances of acceptance for heart transplant offers are highest for White women. The researchers, led by Dr. Khadijah Breathett from Indiana University, analyzed data from the United Network for Organ Sharing datasets to examine the association between the race or gender of a heart transplant candidate and the likelihood of a donor heart being accepted by the transplant center team.
The study included 14,890 candidates listed for heart transplant, with 30.9% being Black and 69.1% being White. Furthermore, 73.6% were men and 26.4% were women. The analysis revealed that White women had the highest cumulative incidence of acceptance, followed by Black women, White men, and Black men. Notably, the odds of acceptance were lower for Black candidates compared to White candidates, particularly for the first offer, with an odds ratio of 0.76. Additionally, the odds of acceptance were higher for women compared to men for the first six offers, with an odds ratio of 1.53 for the first offer, but lower for the 10th through 31st offers.
The study authors emphasize the need for further investigation into the decision-making process at the hospital level regarding heart transplant acceptance. It is worth noting that some of the authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. For further details, the abstract and full text of the study can be accessed on the Journal of the American Medical Association’s website.
