Variation in Racial and Ethnic Representation of Heart Transplant Recipients, Waitlists, and Local Census Demographics Across Transplant Centers in the US

Abstract

AbstractAs the uses and needs for heart transplants around the world continue to rise, it’s vital to investigate how the recent boom in demand comparative to availability affects racial and ethnic groups, especially in the representation in heart transplant waitlists and recipients. Here, comparisons between the racial/ethnic representation in heart transplant waitlists and recipients at heart transplant centers through the Scientific Registry for Transplant Recipients (SRTR) are drawn, comparative to the racial/ethnic representation in the location that these centers are located. Findings point towards the overrepresentation of White individuals in both waitlists and recipients, and underrepresentation in all other ethnic minorities --except African Americans-- in waitlists and recipients comparative to their demographic representation in the location of the centers. This difference in representation is largest for Hispanics/Latinos and those that the SRTR classify as “Other”. Though just a snapshot of representation between 07/01/2019 and 06/30/2020, this may point to various systemic issues in the accessibility of care of minorities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, that need to be addressed as the general populous ages and heart transplants are increasingly relied upon as a treatment for cardiovascular conditions and failure.