Heart Transplant
A cardiac transplant or a heart transplant procedure is performed on a patient who has a diseased heart. The procedure involves removal of a diseased heart and replacing it with a new one. The transplant requires an organ donor and a recipient. To remove the heart from the donor, more than two doctors must declare the donor’s brain dead. Cardiac Transplant is also one of the best options for those who has the high risk of dying from a heart disease.
Why one need a Heart transplant?
The requirement for heart transplant comes when all other surgical or medical means fail to treat heart injury or congestive heart failure. The need for a transplant comes when one’s heart do not pump well. And the heart does not supply blood with nutrients and oxygen to other body organs. The aim of this surgery includes a better quality life and an increased lifespan.
Eligibility for a cardiac transplant
If a patient has any kind of infection in their body, bad diabetes or cancer then they are not suitable for cardiac transplant. Non-smokers and non-alcoholic are good candidates.
Procedure for a cardiac transplant
The cardiac transplant surgery is performed under general anesthesia that lets the patient sleep during the operation. The surgeon injects a medicine into an intravenous line of patient’s arm. A breathing tube which is helpful in breathing is connected to the ventilator. The surgeon starts the surgery by opening patient’s chest. After that he connects heart’s veins and arteries to a heart-lung bypass machine. The diseased heart is now removed. The veins and arteries are also removed from the bypass machine and reconnected to a healthy heart. The transplant completes with the closing of the chest. The heart begins to beat as soon as it warms up.
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
Congestive Heart Failure means the pumping power of heart becomes weaker than the normal. It is just not able to pump enough blood to meet all the body needs. It is more common in elderly people. Cardiac failure does not mean that the heart has stopped working. In heart failure, blood moves through the body and heart at a very slow rate. And thus increasing the pressure in the heart. The two most common types of CHF Left-sided CHF and Right-sided CHF. In left-sided failure, the heart causes blood to back up into the lungs. Right-sided CHF includes problems of the pulmonary circulation. Treatments for CHF includes heart transplant, bypass surgery, medicines, few changes in lifestyle also.
Signs and Symptoms
- Swelling in legs.
- Exhaustion.
- Shortness of breath.
- Chest pain
- Weight gain
- Swollen abdomen
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Irregular heart beat
- High blood pressure