Combined Heart-Kidney Transplantation: Indications, Outcomes, and Controversies

Abstract

Renal dysfunction, a prevalent comorbidity in advanced heart failure, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality after heart transplantation. In the recent era, the field of combined heart-kidney transplantation has experienced great success in the treatment of both renal and cardiac dysfunction in end-stage disease states, and the number of transplants has increased dramatically. In this review, we discuss appropriate indications and selection criteria, overall and organ-specific outcomes, and future perspectives in the field of combined heart-kidney transplantation.