Five years of a self-sustaining heart transplant program in the Canary Islands
Maria del Val Groba-Marco, MD,
Vicente Peña-Morant, MD,
Francisco González-Vílchez, PhD,
Mario Galván-Ruiz, MD,
Miguel Fernandez-de-Sanmamed, MD,
Jose Luis Romero-Lujan, MD,
Francisco Portela-Torron, MD,
Eduardo Jose Caballero-Dorta, PhD,
Alicia Pérez-Blanco, PhD,
Antonio García-Quintana, MD
Affiliations
Maria del Val Groba-Marco, MD
Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; Departamento de Ciencias Medicas y Quirurgicas, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; Corresponding author: Maria del Val Groba-Marco, MD, Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, Barranco de la Ballena S/N, 35010 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
Vicente Peña-Morant, MD
Transplant Coordination Unit, Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Francisco González-Vílchez, PhD
Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
Mario Galván-Ruiz, MD
Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Miguel Fernandez-de-Sanmamed, MD
Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Jose Luis Romero-Lujan, MD
Department of Critical Care, Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Francisco Portela-Torron, MD
Department of Cardiac Surgery, Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Eduardo Jose Caballero-Dorta, PhD
Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Alicia Pérez-Blanco, PhD
Organización Nacional de Trasplantes, Madrid, Spain
Antonio García-Quintana, MD
Cardiology Department, Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
One significant challenge in heart transplant (HT) is the shortage of grafts and underutilization of the donor pool. This study analyzes the unique characteristics of the HT program in the Canary Islands, established in 2019, which operates with a predominantly self-sustaining donor pool. A retrospective review of the Spanish HT Registry and National Transplant Organization reports between 2020 and 2024 revealed that 97% of transplanted hearts originated from local donors. The geographical constraints of the islands create an unresolved issue with ischemic time, prompting the Canary region to establish a new HT program based on donation after circulatory death and extended criteria donors. These 2 initiatives have increased the donor pool and transplantation rates, while maintaining ethical allocation and comparable survival rates. This model highlights how regional programs can improve the underutilized donor pool and transplantation opportunities, offering a framework for future initiatives to optimize donation.
