Scientists hunt for simple blood test to predict heart rejection

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

* INCLUSION CRITERIA - for Transplant Patients: 1. Adult heart transplant center generally accepts patients within the physiologic age range of 12 to 65 years old, however, for our study heart transplant patients must be 18 years of age or above. 2. Indication for cardiac transplantation as outlined by the 24th Bethesda Conference on Cardiac Transplantation. These are as follows: * Peak VO(2) less than 10 ml/kg per minute or less than 50% of maximal predicted VO(2) with achievement of anaerobic metabolism. * Severe cardiac ischemia consistently limiting routine activity not amenable to surgical or percutaneous revascularization. * Recurrent symptomatic ventricular arrhythmias refractory to all accepted therapeutic modalities. EXCLUSION CRITERIA - for Transplant Patients: Adult heart transplant centers exclude infants, toddlers, and children with a physiologic age less than 12, and adults with advanced physiologic age (less than 65), however, for our study we will exclude heart transplant patients less than 18 years of age. The final decision to exclude a candidate from cardiac transplantation will be made by the hospital's heart transplant committee. The committee uses, as a guideline, the criteria outlined in the 24th Bethesda conference. INCLUSION CRITERIA - for Control Subjects: Any healthy normal man or women who is the appropriate age and gender for matching to a transplant patient. EXCLUSION CRITERIA - For Control Subjects: 1. EKG with evidence of clinically relevant heart disease. 2. Echocardiogram with evidence of clinically relevant heart disease. 3. Any disease process that is not well controlled by medications. 4. Total tobacco use for greater than one month over the last 5 years. 5. Symptoms of coronary or cardiac insufficiency. 6. More than one major risk factor for coronary artery disease excluding gender or age. 7. Confirmed intrauterine pregnancy in women.