Adult heart transplantation in the USA and Western Europe: state of the art review

Heart transplantation has made remarkable strides since its inception in the 1960s. While the transplant volume in the USA has steadily increased over the last decade, significant disparities exist in Europe, fuelled by cultural and legislative differences. Recent advancements such as donation after circulatory death and use of hepatitis C positive donors are embraced to differing degrees among countries. This review serves to summarize the current state and ongoing challenges of heart transplantation in the USA and Europe.