Severe Cardiac Abnormalities That Were Present at Birth
Deep sleep is induced in the patient under general anesthesia and an incision through the sternum.
* The patients blood is circulated through a heart-lung bypass machine to keep it well oxygenated.
* Diseased heart is removed from the patient and the donor heart is stitched in place. Then disconnect the lung machine and the blood flows through the transplanted heart.
* Tubes can be inserted to drain air, fluid and blood out of the chest for several days to allow the lung to re-expand completely.
Why is the procedure:
A heart transplant may be recommended for:
* Severe Angina can no longer be treated with medications or surgery to repair coronary arteries.
* Severe heart failure when medications, other treatments and surgery are no longer appropriate. Possible causes of heart failure are:
or coronary artery disease
or cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)
valvular heart disease with congestive heart failure
* Severe cardiac abnormalities that were present at birth and can not be repaired with surgery.
* Rhythm-threatening abnormal heart rhythms or unresponsive to other therapy
The heart transplant surgery may not be recommended for patients who:
* Have had cancer
* Infections such as hepatitis that are considered active
* Insulin-dependent diabetes with poor function of other organs
* Liver disease, renal, neurological or pulmonary
* Malnutrition
* Other diseases that affect the blood vessels of the neck and leg
* Smoking, alcohol and drug abuse or other lifestyle habits that may damage the new heart
The doctor may also recommend against heart transplant if there is concern that the patient can not meet the many monitoring visits in the hospital and the doctor, tests and medications necessary to maintain the new healthy heart.
Solution For All Heart Problems
It is not a solution for all heart problems, obviously. In fact, only be carried out in a very small number of patients who are less than 55-60 years, with some very specific heart diseases that limit their life expectancy dramatically, no more than 2 or 3 years, have all other vital organs in good condition (particularly the kidneys, liver and lungs), which are very emotionally stable and have a very helpful family.
PROCEDURE
This is first find a donor heart, which usually come from a healthy person killed in accident, no injuries that affect the heart. The donor heart is transported in a special solution with all possible speed to the recipient patient, whose chest cavity is already open and diseased heart. The new body is placed on the site of the former. Transplantation, like all major surgery of the heart, is done under general anesthesia and surgery usually lasts several hours, during part of which, the function of the heart and lungs must be assumed by one-lung machine.
REJECTION
In many organ transplants, immune system occurs that the receiver recognizes the transplanted tissue as foreign or alien to itself, and makes antibodies to attack the “invader.” Therefore, after organ transplants must take drugs that suppress the normal immune response (immunosuppressants), and some of them for life. Given that lower the body’s ability to recognize and resist infection, individual doses should be adjusted carefully.
RECOVERY
When a successful heart transplant, most recipients are restored to live a relatively normal life. About 80% of them live actively within a year, and some recipients have lived more than a decade after the transplant.
In any case, the procedure is complicated, and to succeed requires a well organized team of specialists in transplantation and a motivated patient. In almost all cases, we must continue to see members of the transplant team for life, for the careful adjustment of individual doses of drugs, treatment for complications and even biopsies to monitor heart possibility of rejection.
Therefore, heart transplantation is a solution only in cases where it is the only hope of life and where there are real chances of success.