The heart is an essential organ of the human body, as it pumps blood and allows blood circulation. Heart transplant surgery is considered when the heart is severely diseased and beyond repair. When heart failure is irreversible, transplantation is a chance of increasing life expectancy. Cardiac transplantation involves taking a heart from a recently deceased organ donor and implanting it into a patient.

Procedure information
The surgery starts when a compatible heart is matched with the needs of a patient, usually on a waiting list. There are two types of surgery: orthotopic (when the recipient’s heart is removed) and heterotopic (the new heart is positioned next to the failing one and they work as a ‘double heart’). Orthotopic surgeries are the most common and the procedure is as follows.

The patient is given a general anesthetic and is attached to cardiopulmonary bypass, which means that a machine temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs, during the surgery time.

The surgeon makes a chest incision and removes the recipient’s heart when the donor heart arrives in the operating room. The donor heart is then trimmed to fit into the patient’s cavity. The great vessels are sutured, connections are restored, the new heart is restarted and the chest cavity closed. Heart transplant surgery typically lasts between four to seven hours.

Recovery time
After heart transplant surgery, the patient needs to spend about 10 days in the hospital to check that everything is working fine. Before being discharged from the hospital, the patient usually has heart biopsy, to spot immune rejection. During the recovery period, the patient needs to avoid contact with people that have infections such as flu or a cold.

The stitches from the chest incision are internal and do not need to be removed; they will dissolve on their own after a few weeks. Medication needs to be taken for the rest of the patient’s life to avoid rejection of the heart by the body. As side effects are always possibilities, the patient needs to watch for them carefully. After heart transplant surgery it is necessary to follow diet restrictions, such as low-fat and low-sodium food.