Heart transplant is a surgical procedure wherein a diseased heart is replaced by a healthy heart.
Blood circulation is controlled by an external pump while the donor heart is connected to the major blood vessels.
Heart transplant improves the expectancy and quality of life.
Only those who suffer from terminal heart disease may opt for it.
Some issues related to this procedure are: Life expectancy: From the studies conducted, life expectancy is seen to vary from over a year to almost 24 years.
Factors influencing this include age, and compliance of recipient and match of immunology between recipient and donor.
Success rate: Health problems already existing in the patient directly affect the success of a transplant.
Factors that may reduce success rate include being above 60 year, having high blood pressure in pulmonary vessel, being on ventilator, having undergone a transplant previously or having high antibody levels for panels.
Despite these conditions, the success rate for the procedure is almost 90 percent.
The patient will have a fair chance to survive for at least a year if the first 30 days post surgery goes without complications.
Risk: It is natural for the body to reject ant foreign material by fighting it with the immune system.
It is the case with a donor's heart also.
Hence, suppressor drugs are prescribed which prevent rejection.
Regular tests of the transplanted heart's tissues along with routine ECG, EKG and blood tests are done once every 3 to 4 months.
While suppressors are a boon for donated heart's acceptance, it is a bane considering the associated side effects like susceptibility to infections, cancer and ulcers.