Heart transplantation in Mexico. 2006-2019 productivity analysis and Pan American and Iberian comparison

Abstract

Introduction: In Mexico, heart transplants (HTs) have been performed since 1988. Objective: To review Mexican productivity in terms of HT between 2006 and 2019 and compare it with that of American and Iberian Peninsula countries. Methods: Mexican information was collected from HT waiting lists (WL) and from the HTs carried out annually in the period, and was expressed as rates per million population (pmp); 2019 information was compared with that reported at the Pan American and Iberian levels. Results: In the studied period, the rate of HTs in Mexico went from 0.12 pmp in 2006 to 0.25 pmp in 2019, with HTs accounting for between 1 and 2% of all solid organ transplants. Among 13 countries, in 2019 Mexico ranked 12th in the HT rate pmp and 11th in the rate of patients registered for the first time in the WL for a heart (0.42 pmp). Between 2016 and 2019, only one authorized Mexican center reached a volume higher than 10 HT/year. Conclusions: Given the low figures in the main indicators related to HT in Mexico, it is urgent to rethink health policies in heart failure and HT.