Pediatric cardiothoracic domino transplantation: the psychological costs and benefits.

The first domino transplants were carried out in the UK in 1987, since which time 52 such procedures have been carried out involving patients within the paediatric cardiothoracic transplant programmes of Harefield and Great Ormond Street Hospitals. Although there are medical advantages in using domino organs--such as the ability for preoperative cross-matching, the heart not being subjected to the biochemical changes of brain death and less post-transplant coronary artery disease in the recipients of domino hearts compared with the recipients of hearts from cadaveric donors--the psychological sequelae for both donor and recipient have not been previously studied. The objective of this study was to identify the main psychological themes for patients involved in the domino programmes at the two hospitals, focusing on those situations where both patients were cared for in the same tertiary centre. Patients and their families were interviewed during routine outpatient clinic visits. Negative themes identified by patients included anxiety, guilt, resentment and anger if either patient had a poor outcome or suffered significant complications, disappointment and low self-esteem for potential donors whose heart was not used and recipient awareness of donor characteristics. Positive themes included gratefulness, comfort for the recipient that someone had not had to die for them directly and the benefit to the donor of giving their heart to another patient. In conclusion, domino transplantation has many medical advantages but there are significant negative psychological concomitants which need to be addressed within the multi-disciplinary management of these patients.