Heart Transplant

Heart Transplant
A Heart transplant is a surgery done to remove a diseased heart and replace it with healthy heart from
donor to improve your quality of life and increase your lifespan.
Heart transplant is a usually done toperformed in people whose heart condition doesn’t improve
enough with any other medications or surgeries.

Why is it needed?
A person may require a heart transplant for several reasons, however, the most common being End-
Stage Heart Failure. Despite its name, heart failure does not mean the heart is about to stop beating.
End-stage heart failure is a disease in which the heart muscle becomes very weak or damaged and
start failing severely in its attempt to pump blood through the body. As the heart tries harder to pump
blood, it grows larger and with time, the enlarged heart has to work so hard that it just wears out.

Some causes of heart failure, or weakening of the heart muscle, include:

• • Heart attack
• • High blood pressure 
• • Heart conditions present at birth
• • Irregular heartbeats 
• • High blood pressure within the lung’ blood vessels
• • Alcoholism or drug abuse

The transplant process:

Getting ready for the transplant
Not everyone is a candidate for heart transplant. Various aspects are looked into when a person is
being considered for a heart transplant. The transplant evaluation process may include:
• Psychological and social evaluation. Reviewing some psychological and social issues
including stress, financial issues, and support from family or significant others
• Blood tests. Certain blood tests to help find a good donor match and help improve the
chances that the donor heart will not be rejected by the body’s immune system
• Diagnostic tests. Overall health check-up including your lungs function. Some tests that
may be done include X-rays, ultrasound procedures, CT scan, pulmonary function tests
(PFTs), and dental exams. Women may get a Pap test, a mammogram and a
gynaecology evaluation
• Other preparations. You may get certain vaccines to decrease the chances of developing
infections that can affect the transplanted heart.

Before the Transplant Transplant

Once you have been accepted as a transplant candidate, you will be placed on the Organ Sharing list
and when a suited donor organ becomes available, you will be called to the hospital right away to get
you ready for the transplant. A heart transplant usually needs to occur within four hours of organ
removal for the donor organ

Once you arrive at the hospital, your doctors and transplant team will conduct a final evaluation to
assess your condition and to see if the donor heart is suitable for you. As soon as you get to know
about the availability of a donor heart for you, you should not eat or drink anything (fast). Based on
your health condition, your healthcare provider may request other specific preparations. Do not
hesitate to raise any concerns you may have during this time, your healthcare provider will explain the
procedure and let you ask questions.

During the transplant transplant

After the necessary evaluation and preparation, you will be taken to the operating room. You will be
given medications before and during the operation to prevent your body from rejecting the new heart
and anaesthetics that will put you to sleep. A heart transplant requires open heart surgery and a
transplant surgeon will prepare your chest cavity so your heart can be removed. At the same time, the
new heart will be removed from the donor and then will be placed in your chest through the opening
in your chest cavity. This is called a sternotomy. However, procedures may vary depending on your
condition and your healthcare provider's practice.
After the operation, you will be taken to a special unit for recovery and the team will monitor you
closely for several days. After having a transplant, you're likely to remain in the hospital for a week or
two. 

What are the risks associated?

• Primary graft dysfunction It happens when the donor heart fails and cannot function.
• Rejection of the donor heart Your immune system may reject your new heart considering
it as a foreign object. and is most likely to occur within six months after the transplant.
You will need to take medicines after your surgery to suppress the immune system and
help prevent your body from rejecting the new heart.
• Medication side effects  The medications that you take might cause some side effects
including kidney damage and other problems.

However, despite these risks, heart transplant vastly improves the person’s quality of life and has a
good success rate that has improved over many decades of research. 

Off to a good start

You will need to make several lifestyle related changes after having a heart transplant which will help
improve your quality of life and reduce your risk of infections, including-
• Taking all your medications as per instructions and obtaining routine vaccines
• Complete Abstinence from consuming tobacco
• Adjusting your diet by making more healthy diet related choices to keep your heart healthy
and functioning well
• Making physical activity and exercise a regular part of your life to continue to improve your
overall health.
• Practicing good hygiene and dental care

Following your doctor’s advice will help you recover and stay as healthy as possible.
For more information call xxxxxxxxxx or discuss with xxxxxxx in your local CARE hospital.
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/heart-transplant
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/congenital-heart-defects/care-and-treatment-for-congenital-
heart-defects/heart-transplant
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/heart-transplant
https://medlineplus.gov/hearttransplantation.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/heart-transplant/about/pac-20384750
https://www.myast.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/getting_new_heart.pdf
PATIENT HANDBOOK. Heart Transplant. Stanford Healthcare.