BACKGROUND We hypothesized C1q binding de novo donor-specific antibody (DSA) after heart transplant (HT) is a higher risk for development of coronary artery vasculopathy (CAV) in children. METHODS A retrospective analysis of 127 pediatric HT recipients transplanted between January 2005 and December 2014 was used to determine complement (C1q)-binding de novo DSA on the outcomes of HT and the ability of the C1q assay to predict CAV development. RESULTS Of 127 patients, 59 (46.4%) developed de novo DSA, 37 of those had C1q+ DSA. There was no difference in baseline characteristics except patients who developed C1q+ DSA more often received a donor heart from a female compared with C1q- DSA group (P = 0.034). The DSA median fluorescent intensity (MFI) value of 7000 or greater had 80% sensitivity and 80% specificity (C statistics 0.89, P
