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(Circulation. 2002;106:1750.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cardiology Patient Page

Heart Transplant

What to Expect

U. Jurt, MD; D. Delgado, MD; K. Malhotra, MD; H. Bishop; H. Ross, MD, FRCP(C)

From the Division of Cardiology and Internal Medicine (U.J., K.M.), the Division of Cardiology and Heart Transplant (D.D., H.R.), and the Heart Transplant Program (H.B.), Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Correspondence to Dr Heather Ross, MD, FRCP(C), Toronto General Hospital, 10 NU 129, 200 Elizabeth St, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada. E-mail Heather.Ross@uhn.on.ca

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

This article summarizes what patients should expect and need to know about a heart transplant.

Why Do I Need a Heart Transplant?

Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body. The most common cause of damage to the heart muscle that results in heart failure is coronary artery disease. Other possible causes are listed below. The typical symptoms of heart failure are shortness of breath, poor exercise tolerance, cough (especially at night), fatigue, and fluid retention. If your heart failure symptoms and heart function cannot be improved by medications or surgery, you may benefit from a heart transplant. It should be pointed out, however, that heart transplantation is a treatment and not a cure. The 1-year survival rate is over 80%, with an average length of survival of 9.1 years. If you need a heart transplant, your cardiologist will refer you to a transplant physician for further evaluation.

Causes of Heart Failure

• Coronary artery disease (such as heart attack)
  
• Unknown (idiopathic)
  
• Hypertension
  
• Heart valve problems
  
• Infections (such as viruses)
  
• Alcohol and illicit drug use (such as cocaine)
  
• Inherited
  
• Congenital heart disease
  

The Pretransplant Work-Up

A transplant team is responsible for assessing whether you are a suitable heart transplant candidate.

Members of the Transplant Team

• Cardiologist
  
• Cardiovascular surgeon
  
• Transplant coordinator
  
• Social worker
  
• Dietitian
  
• Psychiatrist
  

Specific preoperative tests assess whether any other treatment options exist for you, to determine if you are sick enough to require a transplant, and to ensure that you are physically capable of having a transplant. These tests may include a coronary angiogram (a dye test . . . [Full Text of this Article]