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An Overview Of Heart Transplants

Heart transplantation is the gold standard treatment that is used to treat a variety of heart conditions, including, advanced heart failure, arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease (CHD), coronary artery disease (CAD), heart attack, diabetes, drug abuse, high blood pressure, and valvular heart disease. Sadly, not enough healthy hearts are donated to ensure that everyone who needs a new heart receives one. Doctors are working towards this cause so that those at highest risk are transplanted first.

The Need For A Heart Transplant:
A heart transplant procedure offers hope for patients with end-stage heart failure, and an estimated 5.7 million people in the United States suffer from heart failure (HF), meaning their hearts cannot pump as effectively as they should, which could be due to damage from heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes, a heart disease called cardiomyopathy, or a deformed valve. Some of the symptoms experienced include shortness of breath, fatigue, trouble breathing when lying down, and excess fluid accumulation in the legs and ankles. HF patients are prescribed medications to help their hearts contract more strongly, increase blood flow, and get rid of excess fluid. Although medications can slow the progression of heart failure, keep them out of the hospital, and prevent them from dying, but they may stop working after a certain point, and heart transplant may be the only option.
Besides heart failure, a heart transplant can provide a long-term solution for a number of severe or chronic heart conditions, including abnormal heart rhythm, coronary artery disease and congenital heart disease.

Types Of Donors:
You’ll undergo evaluations to determine whether you are a good candidate for heart transplant, and once you’ve been approved tests will be done to look at your genetic makeup, so that you and the donor are a good genetic match which minimizes the chances of rejection. Doctors also make assessments to determine if you are mentally strong enough to tolerate the transplant process, as well as take good care of yourself and manage an extensive drug regimen post-surgery. Many transplant centers choose or reject individuals on the basis of how well they will be able to care for themselves independently after surgery.


Individuals with any blood type can donate their heart, and the hearts become available for transplantation only when a person has died or is declared to be brain dead and they or their family members choose to donate their organs.

Your transplant center will place you on the transplant list once it determines that you are a good candidate for a transplant, and multiple types of criteria are used, including age (young people are given younger organs for lasting results), severity of illness (those who are sickest are at the top of potential recipient lists), location (proximity is a vital factor since a donor heart must be transplanted into the recipient within 4-5 hours after it is removed, preserved and packed for transport), blood type (compatible blood types is important to minimize chances of organ rejection), and body size (the donor and recipient must be approximately the same body size for them to match)- to create a list of every potential recipient of every organ donation.

If you or a loved one is undergoing a heart transplant surgery, you probably have many questions, discuss them with your transplant team and clarify everything.
To sign up for a CPR course at CPR Kansas City, call us on 913-998-7499.

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