![]() Every heart transplant recipient receives medications to prevent rejection (immunosuppressants), and as a result, the rate of organ rejection continues to decrease. Your immune system may see your donor heart as a foreign object and try to reject it, which can damage the heart. One of the most worrying risks after a heart transplant is your body rejecting the donor heart. If a VAD doesn't help your heart, doctors may sometimes consider a total artificial heart - a device that replaces the ventricles of your heart - as an alternative short-term treatment while you're waiting for a heart transplant.īesides the risks of having open-heart surgery, which include bleeding, infection and blood clots, risks of a heart transplant include: These devices are increasingly being used as long-term treatment for people who have heart failure but are not eligible for heart transplants. ![]() VADs are commonly used as temporary treatments for people waiting for heart transplants. A VAD is a mechanical pump implanted in your chest that helps pump blood from the lower chambers of your heart (ventricles) to the rest of your body. A controller unit and battery pack are worn outside the body and are connected to the LVAD through a small opening in the skin.įor some people who cannot have a heart transplant, another option may be a ventricular assist device (VAD). It helps pump blood from the lower left heart chamber, called the left ventricle, to the rest of the body. Are unwilling or unable to make lifestyle changes necessary to keep your donor heart healthy, such as not using recreational drugs, not smoking and limiting alcohol useĪ left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is implanted in the chest.Have a recent personal medical history of cancer.Have another medical condition that could shorten your life, regardless of receiving a donor heart, such as a serious kidney, liver or lung disease.Are at an advanced age that would interfere with the ability to recover from transplant surgery.You might not be a good candidate for a heart transplant if you: Rarely, doctors may suggest this procedure for some people with severe lung and heart diseases if the conditions cannot be treated with only a heart transplant or a lung transplant.Ī heart transplant is not right for everyone, however. This procedure may be an option for people with certain liver and heart conditions. ![]() This procedure may be an option for some people with kidney failure in addition to heart failure. In children, heart failure is most often caused by either a congenital heart defect or cardiomyopathy.Īnother organ transplant may be performed at the same time as a heart transplant (multiorgan transplant) in people with certain conditions at select medical centers. ![]() Dangerous recurring abnormal heart rhythms (ventricular arrhythmias) not controlled by other treatments.A heart problem you're born with (congenital heart defect).A weakening of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy).In adults, heart failure can be caused by: Heart transplants are performed when other treatments for heart problems haven't worked, leading to heart failure. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |