When is a heart transplant recommended?
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Johns Hopkins Medicine answered:Usually a transplant is recommended when survival without it is expected to be less than one year. This procedure is a last resort when medications and routine surgeries have not helped. All patients must go through a thorough evaluation before being placed on a heart transplant waiting list.
Usually a transplant is recommended when survival without it is expected to be less than one year. This procedure is a last resort when medications and routine surgeries have not helped. All patients must go through a thorough evaluation before... More -
Jen Nixon, FNP of Intermountain Healthcare answered:Heart transplantation is an excellent therapy for select patients with end stage heart failure. We typically consider transplant when the chance of 1 year survival, without intervention, is less than 50%. Before being considered for transplant, patients have been optimized on medical, surgical, and/or device therapies (i.e. ICD, Biventricular pacemaker). Patients usually have low cardiac output with marked activity limitations due to heart failure symptoms. Prior to being listed they go through a thorough evaluation to see whether other body systems are healthy enough to expect good survival and quality of life after transplantHeart transplantation is an excellent therapy for select patients with end stage heart failure. We typically consider transplant when the chance of 1 year survival, without intervention, is less than 50%. Before being considered for transplant,... More -
Healthwise answered:A heart transplant is an option when the heart no longer works well enough and a person is at risk of dying. A heart transplant may be considered when a person has severe heart disease and is likely to benefit most from a donor heart. A person might be a candidate for a transplant when any of these conditions are true:
- The person has end-stage heart failure, ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy or congenital heart disease.
- The person has a low chance of living as long as 1 year without a heart transplant.
- The person has no other serious medical conditions that would reduce his or her life expectancy.
- The doctor strongly expects that a heart transplant will increase survival and improve the person's quality of life.
At some centers, transplant candidates must demonstrate that they have quit smoking and/or overusing alcohol for a period of time (such as 4 to 6 months) before they are considered for placement on a transplant waiting list.
A heart transplant is an option when the heart no longer works well enough and a person is at risk of dying. A heart transplant may be considered when a person has severe heart disease and is likely to benefit most from a donor heart. A... More
