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Alternative names Return to top
Cardiac transplant; Transplant - heartDefinition Return to top
Heart transplantation is a surgical procedure to remove a damaged or diseased heart and replace it with a healthy donor heart.Description Return to top
Heart transplants are the fourth most common (corneas, kidneys and liver are the most common) transplant operations in the U.S. (over 2,200 cases per year). A healthy heart is obtained from a donor who has suffered brain death but remains on life-support. The healthy heart is transported in a special solution that preserves the organ.Indications Return to top
A heart transplant may be recommended for:Risks Return to top
Risks for any anesthesia are:Expectations after surgery Return to top
Heart transplant prolongs the life of a patient who otherwise would die. About 80% of heart transplants are alive two years after the operation. The main problem, as with other transplants, is graft rejection. If rejection can be controlled, then survival can be increased to over 10 years for a person who otherwise would have died.
Immunosuppressive drugs must be taken indefinitely. Relatively normal activities can resume as soon as the patient feels well enough and after consulting with his or her doctor. However, vigorous physical activities should be avoided.
The major problems are the same for all major organ transplants:
Finding a donor can be difficult. In heart transplantation, the healthy heart must come from a fresh cadaver. This is different than a kidney transplant where a kidney can be donated by a family member. Also, timing is important because there is no good way to keep the transplanted heart alive for long periods of time before it is given to the recipient.
Recipients may be kept alive on artificial heart devices for increasingly longer periods of time. However, these can also have significant risks. While some of these devices are fully approved, others are still considered experimental.
Fighting rejection is an ongoing process. The body's immune system considers the transplanted organ an infection and automatically fights it. Thus, to prevent rejection, organ transplant patients must take drugs (such as cyclosporine and corticosteroids) that suppress the body's immune response. The disadvantage of these drugs is that they weaken the body's natural defense against various infections.
Convalescence Return to top
The recovery period averages 6 weeks. Move legs often to reduce the risk of deep venous thrombosis. The sutures (stitches) or clips are removed about one week after surgery. Update Date: 10/29/2003 Updated by: Jeffrey Everett, M.D., Department of Surgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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Page last updated: 28 October 2004 |