The first heart transplantation in New Zealand was performed on December 2, 1987. This study covers all forty-five transplantations that were performed in New Zealand at Green Lane Hospital from that time through January 1994.
Eleven patients from that group have died. The 30 day and 1, 2 and 4 year survival rates were found to be 91.1, 86.7, 80.0 and 75.6%, respectively.
The mean waiting period of the patients for heart transplantation was 61.9 days. Only pulmonary vascular resistance was a statistically significant risk factor for early death after cardiac transplantation. Ischemic time was not a significant risk factor in this study.