Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesResearch article
MECKI score thresholds for heart transplantation referral of ambulatory heart failure patients
- Consecutive ambulatory heart failure (HF) patients enrolled in MECKI score programme
Authors' conclusion
MECKI score ≥0.1368 may warrant HTX listing, while lower scores support clinical deferral.
Study context
- Population
- Consecutive ambulatory heart failure patients enrolled in the MECKI score programme between January 2010 and January 2022HF patients analysed
- Participants
- 3,865 patients
- Comparison
- Compare MECKI score-based survival with that of HTX recipients
- Outcome
- Composite of:
- Cardiovascular death
- HTX
- Left ventricular assist device implantation
Further findings
| Outcome | MECKI score deciles | HTX recipients |
|---|---|---|
| Survival · 5 years | Not reported in the abstract | average 5-year survival 71.2% |
- Survival — HTX recipient survival lies between the eighth and ninth MECKI score deciles; suggested cut-off for HTX listing MECKI score ≥
- 0.1368
- Survival: MECKI score programme patients mean survival 83.7%
Baseline characteristics
- Mean age (years)
- 62.4 ± 12.6
- Peak VO₂ (% predicted)
- 58.2 ± 18.3%
- VE/VCO₂ slope
- 33.2 ± 8.2
- Haemoglobin (g/dL)
- 13.5 ± 1.7
- Na⁺ (mmol/L)
- 139 ± 3
- LVEF
- 33.7 ± 10.4%
- eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m²)
- 73 ± 26
- Periodic breathing
- 15.8%
Original publication
MECKI score thresholds for heart transplantation referral of ambulatory heart failure patients. ESC Heart Fail. Published 8 January 2026. doi:10.1093/eschf/xvaf033
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it