Who can go for a heart transplant surgery?

by Dr. Sujay Shad Cardiac Surgeon

A heart transplant is a major operation performed to replace a severely diseased or damaged/ failing heart with a healthier donor heart. It is the last resort, a life-saving and life-quality transforming option in case of severe heart failure surgery in Delhi or end-stage heart failure where other medical treatments are failing to work. You may or may not hold candidacy for a heart transplant. Your candidacy is determined by certain factors, including your current heart condition.

Cardiac conditions that may require a heart transplant

Arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat)
End-stage heart failure (when blood is not sufficiently pumped by the heart to all body parts)
Congenital heart disease (a heart defect present at birth)
Cardiomyopathy (when cardiac muscles have become diseased, enlarged, or rigid, causing ineffective pumping of blood)
Heart valve disease (when one of the heart valves gets narrow or leaks)
Coronary artery disease (narrowing of the blood vessels carrying oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to the heart).

Criteria for a Heart Transplant Candidacy

As per Heart Doctor in Delhi, Dr. Sujay Shad, at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, typically, good candidates for a heart transplant are those who:

Are aged below 69 years
Are diagnosed with a failing heart
Are provided a prognosis that without getting a heart transplant, their life would come to an end soon, within a year.

Who are not suitable candidates for a heart transplant?

Although a heart transplant can help save the lives of people with failing hearts and expert heart surgeons are performing it, not every heart patient will hold a candidacy for a heart transplant surgery.

Non-eligible candidates for a heart transplant include those who have other serious ailments, including:

Kidney disease
Liver disease
Cancer
Active serious infection
Drug or alcohol abuse
Diabetes
Hepatitis.

How long can a person live with a heart transplant?

The average survival rate of patients with heart transplants is usually higher in the first year following surgery, 85-90%, and may be less in further years, probably around 75%.

Well, the life expectancy of a person who has received a heart transplant depends on the patient’s age and medical condition.

How does a heart transplant team decide if a heart transplant is right for you?

A team of cardiologists, surgeons, and other specialists at Sir Ganaga Ram Hospital work together to assess your condition and decide if a heart transplant would benefit you the most.

The factors that help them decide your candidacy for a heart transplant include:

Age
Weight and Height
Severity of heart disease
Medical options available to manage heart disease
Health status
Commitment and ability to stick to before and after instructions given for a heart transplant.

Concerns related to heart must not be neglected, if you are having any do visit Dr. Sujay Shad, at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. He is an expert heart surgeon who performs heart surgeries like open heart surgery, heart transplant, open heart surgery, mitral valve repair and Heart Failure Surgery in Delhi.