Introduction:
A heart transplant (also known as a cardiac transplant), is performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease. For patients with coronary artery disease, a heart transplant is often the last resort after other medical or surgical treatments have failed.
How is it performed?
During a heart transplant, the patient’s own diseased/failed heart is removed and replaced with a donor’s heart. The functioning, donor’s heart is taken from a recently deceased organ donor (brain death is the standard) and implanted into the patient.
Who is it For?
Patients with an extreme case of:
1. Heart muscle weakening (cardiomyopathy).
2. Coronary artery disease.
3. Heart valve disease.
4. Heart problems they are born with (congenital heart defect).
5. Dangerous, recurring, abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
6. Metabolic disorder (amyloidosis) – Previous heart transplant failure.
Advantage:
The only definitive treatment for end-stage heart failure.
