Heart transplantation is a surgical process that undertakes to replace a diseased or non-functioning heart with a healthy one. The surgeon removes the heart of patients by making a transaction in the aorta, the main pulmonary artery and the superior as well as inferior vena cavae, and then dividing the left atrium. This leaves the back wall of the left atrium that has the pulmonary vein openings in place. After this, the donor’s heart is connected by sewing together the recipient and donor vena cavae, aorta, pulmonary artery and left atrium.

The donor for a heart transplant is someone who is either brain dead or on ventilation. After removing the healthy heart from such a patient it is dipped in a solution before the transplant takes place.

Who needs a heart transplant?

There is a very careful selection of the patients who need this procedure. More patients need a transplant as their hearts can no longer pump enough to supply the blood with oxygen and nutrients to the other organs. While the others have a good heart pump, but a bad “electrical conduction system” that determines the rate, rhythm, and sequence of contraction of the heart muscle. This might become a reason for various problems.

Many people with “end-stage” heart disease where the heart is not functioning properly, but the other important organs should be in good shape. But if the patient is suffering from an infection, cancer, bad diabetes mellitus, or smoke/alcohol abuse, they cannot undergo the surgery.

It is necessary that the patients should experience psychological testing whether they can good in compliance with medications, changes in lifestyle and recovery after the surgery. Even the donor should also be well-matched with the blood type and body size of the patient.