Procedure for Heart Transplantation and Life After Transplantation | Medical Trust Hospital

A heart transplant, also known as a cardiac transplant, is a surgical procedure performed on patients who have failed to respond to other medical or surgical treatments and have end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease. The most common procedure as of 2018 is to implant a functioning heart, with or without both lungs, from a recently deceased organ donor (brain death is the standard) into the patient. The patient's own heart is removed and replaced with the donor heart (orthotopic procedure), or the recipient's diseased heart is left in place to support the donor heart (a much less common procedure). It is a meticulously performed surgery, so choosing the best hospital and surgeon is crucial. It is best to look for a heart transplant in Kochi Medical Trust. The Cardiac Surgery Department at Medical Trust Hospital in Kochi was founded in 1976 and has since grown to be one of the best in India's private sector. The Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Program began in 1997, and the department has performed a large number of groundbreaking cardiac surgeries over the last two decades.

What is the purpose of this procedure?

When other treatments for heart problems have failed and heart failure has resulted, a heart transplant is performed. Adults can develop heart failure as a result of: 

• heart muscle weakness (cardiomyopathy) 

• coronary artery disease

• Valve problems in the heart

•  Dangerous recurrent abnormal heart rhythms (ventricular arrhythmias) that aren't controlled by other treatments (congenital heart defect).

• A previous heart transplant that did not work out

Cardiomyopathy or a congenital heart defect is the most common cause of heart failure in children. In people with certain conditions, another organ transplant (multiorgan transplant) may be performed at selected medical centers at the same time as a heart transplant.

The following organs are included in multiorgan transplants:

•  A heart-kidney transplant:- It is an operation in which the heart and kidneys are removed and replaced with For some people who have both kidney and heart failure, this procedure may be a viable option.

• Transplantation of the heart and liver:- People with certain liver and heart conditions may be candidates for this procedure.

• Transplantation of the heart and lungs:- Doctors may recommend this procedure in rare cases for people with severe lung and heart diseases who cannot be treated with a heart transplant or a lung transplant alone.

However, not everyone is a candidate for a heart transplant. You might not be a good candidate for a heart transplant if you are over the age of 65, which would make recovery from transplant surgery difficult. Have another medical condition that, regardless of receiving a donor's heart, could shorten your life, such as serious kidney, liver, or lung disease If you have an active infection, have a recent personal medical history of cancer or you are unwilling to make the necessary lifestyle changes to keep your donor heart-healthy, such as abstaining from alcohol or smoking.

Risk Factor

However, apart from the risks of open-heart surgery, such as bleeding, infection, and blood clots, a heart transplant carries the following risks: 

• Rejection of the donor's heart :- Your body rejecting the donor's heart is one of the most serious risks after a heart transplant. Your immune system may mistake your donor heart for a foreign object and attempt to reject it, causing the heart to suffer damage. Immunosuppressants are given to every heart transplant recipient to prevent rejection, and as a result, the rate of rejection is decreasing. If rejection occurs, a change in medications may help to stop it. It's critical that you take your medications exactly as prescribed and keep all of your doctor's appointments to avoid rejection. Rejection frequently occurs without warning. During the first year after your transplant, you'll have frequent heart biopsies to see if your body is rejecting the new heart.

•  Graft failure at the primary level:-  The donor's heart does not function in this condition, which is the most common cause of death in the first few months after transplant.

• abnormalities of the arteries:-  It's possible that the walls of your heart's arteries will thicken and harden after your transplant, resulting in cardiac allograft vasculopathy. This can cause a heart attack, heart failure, heart arrhythmias, or sudden cardiac death by making blood circulation through your heart difficult.

•  Adverse effects of medication:-. Immunosuppressants, which you'll have to take for the rest of your life, can harm your kidneys and cause other issues.

•  Cancer:-. Immunosuppressive drugs can also raise your chances of getting cancer. These medications can increase your risk of skin and lip tumors, as well as non-lymphoma Hodgkin's and other cancers.

• Infection:- Immunosuppressive medications reduce your body's ability to fight infection. Many people who have had a heart transplant develop an infection that necessitates hospitalization within the first year of their transplant.

What exactly is the procedure?

The surgery for a heart transplant takes about four hours. You'll be hooked up to a heart-lung machine for the duration of your stay to keep blood flowing throughout your body. Your heart will be removed, but the pulmonary vein openings and the back wall of the left atrium will be left intact. They'll do this to get you ready for your new heart.

You'll be taken off the heart-lung machine once your doctor stitches the donor heart into the place and it starts beating. As soon as blood flow is restored, the new heart will begin to beat. An electric shock may be required to induce a heartbeat.

How is it going with your recovery?

You'll be taken to the intensive care unit once your surgery is completed (ICU). You'll be closely monitored, given pain medication, and have drainage tubes placed in your chest cavity to drain any excess fluid.

You'll most likely be moved out of the ICU after a day or two following the procedure. You'll have to stay in the hospital while you recover. Depending on your recovery rate, hospital stays can last anywhere from one to three weeks.

Your infection will be monitored, and your medication will be started. Anti Rejection drugs are essential for preventing your body from rejecting your donor organ. To help you adjust to your new life as a transplant recipient, you might be referred to a cardiac rehabilitation unit or center.

A heart transplant recovery period can be lengthy. It can take up to six months for most people to fully recover.

Taking into account the best treatment facility IN Kerala, Medical Trust Hospital is the Best Heart Transplant in Kochi. This is Kerala's first department to start a well-organized Beating Heart Bypass Surgery program. Total Arterial Revascularization was being performed at the time. This is one of the few centers in India that performs Total Arterial Revascularization on a beating heart. To top it all off, Medical Trust performed the first and second successful heart transplants in Kerala, putting the hospital in fourth place in India for successful heart transplants. Visit our official website for more information on transplantation.