A heart transplant removes a damaged or diseased heart and replaces it with a healthy one from a donor who has died.
When it's used
It is the last resort for people with heart failure when every other treatment has failed. The heart failure may come from:
- coronary heart disease;
- damaged heart valves or heart muscle;
- congenital heart defects;
- viral infections of the heart.
Risks
The surgery saves lives, but carries many risks. Careful monitoring, treatment and regular medical care can prevent or help manage some of them.
Afterward
Most patients return to their normal activity. But fewer than 30% go back to work, for many different reasons.
Sources
Based on "Heart Transplantation," MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, drawing on the NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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