Patient education: Heart transplant (The Basics)

What is a heart transplant? — 

This is surgery to replace a diseased heart with a healthy heart.

Why might I need a heart transplant? — 

You might need one if you have severe heart failure. This is a condition in which the heart doesn't pump as well as it should. It can cause symptoms such as trouble breathing, feeling tired, or swelling in the feet, legs, or belly.

Before you have a heart transplant, your doctor will try other treatments first. They will only recommend a heart transplant if all other treatments fail.

What happens before I can get a heart transplant? — 

Your doctor will send you to a heart transplant center. There, you will have exams and blood tests, and talk with different doctors. They will ask about your:

●Other medical conditions and medicines you take

●Lifestyle (for example, smoking, alcohol, or drug use)

●Family and other support systems

You might get medicine to help your heart pump. The medicine is given by IV, which is a thin tube that goes into a vein.

Or you might get a device called an "LVAD" to help your heart pump. It goes inside your chest. Some people have an LVAD before they have a heart transplant. Some people have an LVAD instead of a heart transplant.

Not everyone who is sent to a heart transplant center will get a transplant. To be considered for a heart transplant, you need to meet certain conditions. For example, you need to:

●Have severe heart failure that hasn't gotten better with other treatments

●Not currently have certain other medical conditions, such as cancer or an infection

●Agree not to smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs – Doing these things can harm your new heart.

●Be willing to take medicines for the rest of your life after surgery

If you meet all of the required conditions, your doctors will send your information to an organization called "UNOS." UNOS keeps a list that includes every person in the country who is waiting for a heart transplant. When a new heart becomes available, the person highest on the UNOS list has a chance to get that heart, but only if it is a "match." This is based on the size of the heart and the person's blood type.

While you are waiting for your heart transplant, your doctors will follow your health closely. If your condition changes, they will tell UNOS.

Sometimes, people get other medical problems while they are waiting for their heart transplant. If this happens, you might need to wait longer while your doctor treats those problems.

What happens when a heart becomes available? — 

UNOS chooses the person who is the best match for that heart. People who are waiting for a heart need to carry a cell phone at all times so they can be reached quickly.

When you get called for your heart transplant, you need to get to the hospital within a few hours.

What happens after a heart transplant? — 

Most people stay in the hospital for a few weeks. In the hospital and at home, your doctors will monitor you. They will also do tests to make sure that your new heart is working correctly.

After a heart transplant, doctors will continue to do regular exams and tests on your heart. People with a heart transplant need to see their doctors regularly and take medicines for the rest of their lives. These include "anti-rejection medicines." They help prevent the body's infection-fighting system (called the "immune system") from attacking the new heart.

What problems can people have after a heart transplant? — 

In most cases, people do well after surgery. They can go to work and be active. But some problems can happen after a heart transplant. These problems can happen right after the surgery or years later. They include:

●Rejection of the new heart – Even though people take anti-rejection medicines, their body might still reject and attack the new heart.

●Narrowing of the blood vessels in the new heart

●Side effects from the anti-rejection medicines – These medicines can have short-term side effects, like increased the risk of infections. They can also have long-term side effects, like increased risk of certain cancers.

More on this topic

Patient education: Heart failure (The Basics)
Patient education: Cardiac rehabilitation (The Basics)
Patient education: Therapeutic apheresis (The Basics)
Patient education: Coping with high drug prices (The Basics)

Patient education: Heart transplantation (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Heart failure (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Coping with high prescription drug prices in the United States (Beyond the Basics)