Transcript Heart Transplants

Heart Transplants
Statistics
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1000’s die every year
waiting for a heart
transplant
100,000’s of people
diagnosed with heart
failure every year
Heart Failure can be
managed with correct
treatment and
attention to lifestyle
Getting on the List
Coronary Vessels must be sick beyond
medicinal repair
 Heart given to recipient with best chance
of survival
 Length of time on list
 Lack of transplantable hearts
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Transplant team
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Cardiologist
Cardiovascular
Surgeon
Transplant
Coordinator
Social Worker
Dietician
Psychiatrist
Preoperative Testing
Chest X-ray
 Coronary Angiogram
 Echocardiogram
 Cardiopulmonary Study (stress/rest test)
 BUN Test
 Right Heart Catheterization
 Hemodynamic Study
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Waiting List
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Time may vary from days to months
 Blood group
 How ill patient is
 Viable heart availability
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May be temporarily taken off of list if condition
worsens or other serious medical complications
arise
 Stroke
 Infection
 Kidney
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Pager
failure
Where do Donor hearts come
from?
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Brain Death from
severe head trauma
Similar height/weight
Sex not an issue
Ethnic background
not an issue
When the call comes through
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Recipient expected at the
hospital within 2 hours
Recipient prepped for surgery
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Tests performed on recipient
and donor heart
Surgery takes about four hours
Open chest
Replace heart
Heart/Lung machine used to
pump and oxygenate blood
Post Operative
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Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit
 Close
monitoring of new heart
Regular Hospital Room
 Home
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 Pain
medications for chest
 Medications to insure body acceptance
 Medications to control risk of infection
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Avoid activities that increase the chance of
infection
 Cleaning
cat littler box
 Working with animals
Gradually increase activities over 6 to 8
weeks
 Regular check-ups mandatory
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