Heart transplantation for pediatric foreign nationals in the United States

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to clarify survival outcomes, waitlist mortality, and waitlist days of heart transplantation of pediatric foreign nationals compared to pediatric United States (US) citizens. Methods: We retrieved data from March 2012 to June 2021 in the United Network Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry. Results: Of 5857 pediatric patients newly waitlisted, 133 (2.27%) patients were non-US citizen/non-US residents (non-citizen non-resident [NCNR]). Patients with congenital heart disease were higher in the US citizen group than in the NCNR group (51.9% vs. 22.6%, p