The interval between brainstem death and cardiac assessment influences the retrieval of hearts for transplantation.

Objectives: The optimum time after brainstem death (BSD) at which to assess the function of donor hearts is unknown. We hypothesized that a longer interval may be associated with a higher transplantation rate due to improved function.

Methods: Data were obtained from the UK Transplant Registry for the period between April 2010 and March 2015.