Abstract
BACKGROUND: In cardiac transplant recipients, the electrocardiogram (ECG) is a noninvasive measure of early allograft rejection. The ECG can predict an acute cellular rejection, thus shortening the time to recognition of rejection. Earlier diagnosis has the potential to reduce the number and severity of rejection episodes. METHODOLOGY: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify and select the original research reports on using electrocardiography in diagnosing cardiac transplant rejection in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Studies included reported sensitivity and specificity of ECG readings in heart transplant recipients during the first post-transplant year. Data were analyzed with Review manager version 5.4. p-value was used in testing the significant difference. RESULTS: After the removal of duplicates, 98 articles were eligible for screening. After the full-text screening, a total of 17 papers were included in the review based on the above criteria. A meta-analysis of five studies was done. CONCLUSION: In heart transplant recipients, a noninvasive measure of early allograft rejection has the potential to reduce the number and severity of rejection episodes by reducing the time and cost of surveillance of rejection and shortening the time to recognition of rejection.