Heart Transplant
- Heart Home
- Adult Congenital Heart Program
- Advanced Heart Failure
- Cardiac Imaging
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Cardiac Wellness and Management Clinics
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Chest Pain and Heart Attack Care
- Diagnostic Testing and Screening
- Heart Valve Disease
- High Blood Pressure
- Interventional Cardiology
- Jackson Heart Study
- Patient Support Groups
- Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Heart Transplant FAQs
What is a heart transplant?
This is surgery to replace a diseased heart with a healthy heart.
Why might I need a heart transplant?
You might need one if you have severe heart failure.
Before you have a heart transplant, your doctor will try other treatments first. They will only recommend a heart transplant if all other treatments fail.
How do I know if I need a heart transplant?
When all other treatments fail, your doctor may want you to be evaluated for advanced therapies. You will have exams and blood tests, and talk with different doctors. They will ask about your:
- Other medical conditions and medicines you take
- Lifestyle (for example, smoking, alcohol, or drug use)
- Family and other support systems
What happens if I am deemed a candidate for heart transplant?
If you meet all of the required conditions, your doctors will send your information to an organization called "UNOS." UNOS keeps a list that includes every person in the country who is waiting for a heart transplant. When a new heart becomes available, the person highest on the UNOS list has a chance to get that heart, but only if it is a "match." This is based on the size of the heart and the person's blood type.
While you are waiting for your heart transplant, your doctors will follow your health closely. If your condition changes, they will tell UNOS.
Sometimes, people get other medical problems while they are waiting for their heart transplant. If this happens, you might need to wait longer while your doctor treats those problems.
What happens if a heart becomes available?
UNOS chooses the person who is the best match for that heart. People who are waiting for a heart need to carry a cell phone at all times so they can be reached quickly.
When you get called for your heart transplant, you need to get to the hospital within a few hours.
What happens after a heart transplant?
Most people stay in the hospital for a few weeks. In the hospital and at home, your doctors will monitor you. They will also do tests to make sure that your new heart is working correctly.
After a heart transplant, doctors will continue to do regular exams and tests on your heart. People with a heart transplant need to see their doctors regularly and take medicines for the rest of their lives. These include "anti-rejection medicines." They help prevent the body's infection-fighting system (called the "immune system") from attacking the new heart.
Is heart transplant always an option?
No. Surgery is not an option for some people. For example, a person with an infection or cancer might not benefit from a heart transplant. Your age, other conditions, and overall health will determine if you can get surgery to treat your heart failure.
Not everyone who is sent to a heart transplant center will get a transplant.