Help for Failing Hearts

Heart Failure

As the heart’s pumping ability decreases, a person’s ability to exercise or move decreases, and even a 10% increase in ventricular blood ejection can significantly improve mobility.

Cardiac Transplant

The replacement of a severely damaged heart with a normal heart from a brain-dead or recently deceased donor, typically performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease

Cardiac Transplant: Incision

The surgeon makes a long cut down the middle of the chest and splits the breastbone (sternum) to reach the heart

Cardiac Transplant: Bypass Machine

The patient is placed on a heart-lung bypass machine, which oxygenates and circulates blood while their heart is stopped with adenosine.

Cardiac Transplant: Removal and Implantation

The surgeon removes the damaged heart, trims and positions the donor heart, and connects the patient’s remaining left atrium and great vessels to the donor heart.

Cardiac Transplant: Blood Flow

Blood flow is restored to the new heart, which often starts beating on its own, though a mild electric shock may be used if needed

Cardiac Transplant: Recovery

After the chest is closed, the heart–lung bypass machine is removed, but the patient must take immunosuppressant drugs for life to prevent rejection of the donor heart.

Cardiac Transplant: Heart Rate

Since the vagus (X) nerve is severed during the surgery, the new heart will beat at about 100 times per minute (compared with a normal rate of about 75 times per minute).

Donor Heart: Preservation

A donor heart is perfused with a cold solution and then preserved on sterile ice to keep it viable for about 4–5 hours.

Donor Heart: Scarcity

Because the availability of donor hearts is very limited, cardiac assist devices and other surgical procedures can assist heart function without removing the heart.