Could Your Race Determine Your Wait Time for a Donor Heart?

November 13, 2018

(Medical Xpress) – The wait for a heart transplant varies widely based on factors such as availability of donor hearts and blood type, but little is known about differences in wait times based on race and ethnicity. Now, preliminary research suggests African-American patients may experience longer wait times than other racial and ethnic groups. Who gets a donor heart each time one becomes available is based on objective criteria such as blood type, body size and how urgently a patient needs a transplant. Wait times, which are partially driven by the geographic availability of donor organs, are generally months long.