Overview

• Researchers followed 19 patients who received partial heart transplants at Duke between April 2022 and December 2024 with 11 to 153 weeks of follow-up.
• All transplanted valves maintained healthy function and showed ultrasound-documented growth with no reoperations for valve failure reported.
• Early safety signals were favorable with no significant valve-related complications noted, and clinicians used lower immunosuppression than for full heart transplants.
• One child who temporarily stopped anti-rejection therapy due to infection continued to show normal valve growth and function, underscoring unanswered questions about long-term drug needs.
• An accompanying editorial urges rigorous longitudinal data across centers to weigh durability and risks as tissue-engineered options such as GrOwnValve advance without lifelong immunosuppression.