The International Thoracic Organ Transplant Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Thirty-fifth Adult Heart Transplantation Report—2018; Focus Theme: Multiorgan Transplantation

The past year has been notable for the multiple celebrations and symposia around the globe commemorating the first heart transplant ever performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, on December 3, 1967, and the first heart transplant performed in the United States by Dr. Norman Shumway at Stanford Hospital on January 6, 1968. Since then, the field of heart transplantation has grown dramatically, with steady increases in the number of heart transplants performed worldwide annually, accompanied by improvement in post-transplant survival and other favorable outcomes. Data on heart transplant donors, recipients, and clinical outcomes have been reported to the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) International Thoracic Organ Transplant Registry (Transplant Registry) by heart transplant centers and collectives, and have been published in summary form by way of annual reports. This 35th Annual Adult Heart Transplant Report is based on data submitted to the ISHLT Thoracic Organ Transplant Registry on 141,268 heart transplants in recipients of all ages (including 126,204 adult heart transplants) through June 30, 2017. The focus theme of the 2018 annual report is multiorgan transplantation.