Heart Transplant List Doesn’t Rank Kids by Medical Need, Stanford Medicine-Led Study Finds
Aug. 5 - The method used across the United States to wait-list children for heart transplants does not consistently rank the sickest patients first, according to a new study led by Stanford Medicine experts. The study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Adding nuance to the wait-list system by accounting for more health factors could reduce children’s risk of dying while they await donor hearts, according to the study’s authors. A revision to the way donor hearts are assigned is already in process. The study adds evidence for why it is needed, they said.