Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Background: Mechanical support strategies used for patients in shock prior to heart transplantation (OHT) correlates with post-transplant outcomes. OHT timing in patients supported by Impella 5.5 remains an evolving decision point, influenced by patient stability and donor logistics. With the emergence of organ transport technologies, we sought to determine whether the choice of system was associated with variations in pre-transplant support duration.
Method: A retrospective review between Jan 2020 and May 2025 was completed. Patients were categorized by donor transport technology: traditional cooler, Organ Care System (OCS), or SherpaPak. The primary outcome was duration of Impella support (days) prior to transplant. Group-wise comparisons were performed using Kruskal-Wallis testing.
Result: A total of 129 patients were assessed across three transport methods: traditional cooler:12, OCS: 35, SherpaPak: 84. Median age at transplant was 58 (51-65) years with EF of 17% (15-22). Cold ischemic time differed significantly across transport technologies (Kruskal-Wallis H = 77.4, p < 0.001) and was longest in OCS cases (417 min), compared to SherpaPak (236 min) and traditional cooler (234 min). The median duration of Impella support prior to OHT was 27 days for organs transported via traditional cooler, 25 days for those using OCS, and 28.5 days for SherpaPak with near-significant difference by transport method (H=5.77, p=0.056). There was no significant difference of rejection within the first year after OHT.
Conclusion: Donor transport technology choice may serve as a surrogate for broader transplant logistics and selection strategies as evidenced by significant differences in ischemic time and near-significant trends in Impella support duration.