The authors report their current clinical experience with the "NE-Tx" program, which covers four different centres, as well as its regional peculiarities. The program was designed to be of low cost and regionally integrated. In the preoperative investigation the social and intellectual level of the recipient and his relationship with family members were assessed. The need to send for an organ from elsewhere was eliminated by providing for the recipient to be transported to the place where the appropriate organ is available. No serous dosages of cyclosporine were used postoperatively, all pacients having been through periodic monitoring of renal funcion. By means of this strategy, seven patients were operated on between 19.07.86 and 01.11.91 in three diferent integrated centres. All were males, with ages ranging from 17 to 50 years. Three (42.8%) of the pacients were suffering from Chagas's disease, two (28.5%) from idiopathic myocardiopathology, one (14.3%) from hipertrophic myocardiopathology and one (14.3%) from rheumatic myocardiopathology. Three (42.8%) pacientes came from different Centres: one from Natal to Recife, another from Maceió to Aracaju and a third from Aracaju to Maceio. Two (28.6%) pacients died: one shortly after surgery from an unknown cause, the other in the late postoperative period from a rejection crisis. Early mortality was 14,3% and late mortality also 14.3%. The remaining five (71.4%) pacients are progressing well, their follow-up ranging from 2 to 48 months. The incidence of infection, rejection and other problems related to the late follow-up is comparable with that of others Centres. The program has proved to be efficient, practical, compatible with our actual situation, and reproduces the results of others experiences.
heart transplantation; heart transplantation