Can Your Heart Be Replaced? Heart Transplant
Heart problems are one of the most life-threatening health issues anyone can have. Unfortunately, quite a number of people are facing this challenge. In some cases, doctors can treat the heart problem with medications or by repairing damaged valves. However, in more severe situations, the damaged heart may need to be removed and replaced by a donor’s heart. This procedure is called heart transplant.
What Can Lead to Heart Replacement?
The primary reason for heart replacement is heart failure. Heart transplant is the ultimate treatment option for heart failure, especially when other treatment options are ineffective. The term heart failure refers to the inability of the heart to function effectively. This may be due to damage to the heart valves or weakened heart muscles. Heart failure may also be caused directly by any heart diseases, commonly coronary heart disease and ventricular arrhythmias. Sadly, some people were born with heart problems. This condition is referred to as a congenital heart defect.
If you have had a heart transplant before, but your body rejected the donor’s heart, it may lead to heart failure and a need for another transplant.
Who Can Get a Heart Transplant?
Not everyone with heart failure will be a good candidate for a heart transplant. Before your doctor can conclude that you will need a heart transplant, he will examine your health status, heart health and other conditions. For you to be fit for a heart replacement, you must be healthy, not too old, and be ready to live a lifestyle appropriate for people who receive heart transplants. Before considering a heart transplant, the doctors must also have considered other treatment options. Only the patients that will not benefit from other heart treatment options will be considered for heart transplants.
Who Should Avoid Heart Transplant?
Open heart surgery requires being healthy and strong. Hence, patients of advanced age and those that are physically weak should avoid the procedure. Heart transplant is also not suitable for patients with a history of cancer or other chronic diseases like kidney or lung problems. Heart transplant is also not for smokers or heavy alcohol drinkers. If you had a transplant, doctors would give you medications to suppress your immune system such that your body wouldn’t reject the new heart. However, the medication will also lower your body’s ability to fight infection or heal after infection. Hence, a heart transplant might not be ideal for patients with serious infection problems.
How Heart Transplants Are Done
A heart transplant is a major surgical operation that involves many clinical tests, medical, physical, and even emotional preparation for the patient. Since a donor’s heart will be used, it is not likely that the heart will be readily available. Hence, from the time a person is diagnosed with heart failure to the transplant day, maybe several weeks or several months. Some people have to wait for years to get a donor’s heart.
Before the D-day, the doctors must have carried out a series of tests to confirm that a heart transplant is the best treatment option. As soon as a donor’s heart is available, there will also be a series of tests to ensure it will work for the patient. Then, the surgical operation can be carried out.
The procedure itself is a day operation. It might take up to four hours if you are doing it for the first time. If you had previously had a failed heart transplant, the second attempt might take longer. You will take medications that will induce sleep (sedatives) and relieve or restrict pain (analgesics/anaesthetics). The patient will be connected with a machine that will regulate blood flow within the body while the heart is temporarily kept out of function. Then the surgeons will open the chest up to the rib cage so that they can have access to the heart. The damaged heart will be removed and carefully replaced with the donor’s heart. They will connect the new heart with all the blood vessels removed from the old heart and may also need to activate the heart with an electric shock using a medical device known as an external defibrillator.
Ideally, the patient will remain in the ICU after the procedure until they are strong enough to be taken to other hospital units. That might take a few days, depending on how their body reacts to the surgical procedure. After about two weeks, the patient should be ready to go home but should remain under proper supervision or care by friends and family and should return to the hospital regularly for check-ups.
How Safe is a Heart Transplant Procedure
A heart transplant is a complex open surgery, and it is always done by medical professionals or heart specialists. It is relatively safe. The chance of success depends on many factors, most of which are related to the health status of the patient and the expertise of the surgeons. However, the success rate is around 85%. This means out of every ten people that undergo the surgery, more than eight will be successful.
Side Effects of Heart Transplant
You won’t expect a major surgery like a heart transplant to be without any side effects. However, the side effects vary from patient to patient. Generally, after surgery, you should expect pain. There could also be bleeding and blood clots. Other possible side effects include the thickening of the arteries. This may prevent proper blood circulation and can lead to another heart problem or even death in severe cases.
Unfortunately, some people experience problems with the new heart due to genetic incompatibility, physiological incompatibility or some other reasons. The worst of it is when the heart fails to function. This can lead to death. The most common complication after a heart transplant is when the body sees the donor heart as a foreign object and rejects it. This is known as heart transplant rejection. To prevent this, patients are usually given medications to suppress the immune system after a heart transplant. Sadly, when the immune system is suppressed, there will be a high chance of infection.
What to Do After a Heart Transplant
If you are lucky to have a successful heart transplant, your doctors will give you a list of things you must do regularly and things to avoid. The most important among the to-do-list is the medication. You must not miss it. It would be best if you also took your diet seriously. Eat a balanced diet and all kinds of food recommended by your doctors, and avoid those meals that are not recommended. If your doctor recommends regular exercise for you, make sure you are doing it but moderately. It will help if you avoid smoking and alcohol. You must also avoid junk foods. If you are a woman, you should consult with your doctors if you plan to get pregnant.
You Can Get Support
A heart transplant is a challenging situation to deal with. While many people continue with their everyday lives after the procedure, many find life difficult after it. If you need assistance and support, you can contact us. We will be glad to offer professional help.
Conclusion
A heart transplant may become necessary after a heart failure. Before a patient could be considered for the surgery, the doctors must have considered all other treatment options. However, the patient must be young and healthy enough to bear the stress of the surgery. They must not have a history of cancer or other life-threatening disease and must be ready to embrace a healthy lifestyle.
A heart transplant involves an open surgery, and the procedure may take several hours. It has about 84% chance of success. Many patients will continue to live their everyday lives after the procedure with regular follow-up treatments as required. However, some patients may experience bleeding, blood clotting and thickening of the artery after the procedure. In more critical cases, the new heart may fail or be rejected by the body.
