Heart Transplant  

What is a Heart Transplant?

A heart transplant is a surgical procedure in which a sick or non-functioning heart is replaced with a healthy one. The surgeon divides the left atrium and removes the heart of the patient by performing a transaction in the aorta, main pulmonary artery, and superior and inferior vena cavae. The pulmonary vein apertures are still present on the rear wall of the left atrium. The donor's heart is then joined to the recipient's by stitching the vena cavae, aorta, pulmonary artery, and left atrium together.

Someone who is either brain dead or on ventilator is the best candidate for a heart transplant. The healthy heart is removed from the patient and immersed in a solution before being transplanted. Heart transplantation in India has advanced to new heights as surgical methods and techniques have improved. Because the heart is such a vital life support system, cardiac transplantation is a common solution to cardiac issues. With hospital increases being successful for foreigners, heart transplants in India became financially effective.

Heart Transplant Procedure

In the following situations, this technique may be recommended:

  • Aortic disease.
  • Prolapsed mitral valve.
  • Coronary artery disease (CAD).
  • Since birth, severe cardiac condition.
  • Vascular disease is a type of vascular disease.
  • Heart failure due to congestive heart failure.
  • Congestive heart failure and heart valve disease.
  • Hypercholesterolemia and the reduction of risk factors.
  • Atrial fibrillation and flutter are two types of atrial fibrillation.
  • Abnormal heartbeats can be life-threatening (when other therapies fail).
  • Myocardial Infarction (MI) is a type of heart attack that occurs when the blood flow low or stops to the coronary artery of the heart.
  • Angina, shortness of breath, and palpitations are all indications of heart disease.

Patients who should not have this procedure include:

  • Diseases of the kidneys, lungs, and liver
  • Insulin-dependent diabetes accompanied by organ dysfunction
  • Diseases of the blood vessels in the neck and legs
  • Other diseases that can kill you

The Heart Transplant Surgery Process

Before a Heart Transplant, Here's What to Expect

Patients are placed on a waiting list for a donor heart prior to treatment. The selection process is carried out to ensure that the organ is allocated fairly because to the limited quantity of accessible hearts. Organs are matched based on the donor's blood type and the recipient's body size.

How to Prepare for a Heart Transplant

You will be given anaesthetic to make you unconscious and put you to sleep just before your heart transplant in India. Open-heart surgery is used by surgeons to do heart transplant surgery. To open the rib cage, tiny incisions of 3 to 4 inches are made in the chest at first. During the surgery, surgeons utilise a heart-lung machine to keep blood and oxygen going through your lungs and body while the heart is momentarily stopped. When the transplantation is finished, the surgeon takes the patient's damaged heart and replaces it with a healthy donor heart. The aorta and pulmonary arteries are not restored, but the major vessels are connected to the heart that has been rebuilt. As soon as blood supply is restored, the replacement heart begins to beat. If the blood flow is impeded, an electric show is performed to ensure that the new heartbeat is properly formed.

In addition, medicines are provided to help with pain management following surgery. To assist you breathe, a ventilator may be used, and tubes may be placed into your chest to drain fluids from your lungs and heart. You will be administered drugs through intravenous tubes for the time being.

After a Heart Transplant, What to Expect

You will be held in the intensive care unit for a few days before being transferred to a general ward or room. It is a critical surgery, and you will remain in the hospital until you are able to move or stand up on your own. The length of time spent in the hospital, as well as the cost of a heart transplant in India, varies from person to person. You must stay at your outpatient transplant facility after being discharged from the heart transplant hospital to have your health status monitored. Patients choose to stay in a nearby place for the first three months due to the invasive nature of the surgery. At most hospitals you can get comfortable care. You can return to your house after three months, depending on your healthcare advise. Immunosuppressants, therapies, diets, and care plans, on the other hand, are supposed to be taken for the rest of one's life.

Biopsy is one of the post-surgical diagnostic techniques used to track how well the replacement heart is working. Fever, weariness, illness, weight gain, bodily swelling, shortness of breath, and other symptoms will be used to diagnose you. Let your team know if you see anything so they can look for rejection symptoms.

Recipient evaluation for heart transplant

People with end-stage cardiac failure have only one option: a heart transplant. Patients are thoroughly examined before being referred for a heart transplant because this surgery is not suited for everyone. The recipient of a heart transplant is evaluated on a few factors, including:

  • All organs are in good shape right now.
  • Cancer cells are present.
  • Allergies and infections.
  • Smoking and drinking are unhealthy habits for people with diabetes.

The patient is further screened if all organs are in good working order and the recipient is free of cancer or other infections. Recipients who smoke, drink excessively, or have chronic diabetes are frequently disqualified from receiving a heart transplant. Once a receiver is determined to be healthy, their name is added to a national donor waiting list.

Waiting for a Donor

Organ Donation for Heart transplant

Depending on the prerequisites, blood group, and recipient's number on the waiting list, the wait for a donor's heart might be short or extensive. It is difficult to say how long a patient will have to wait for a heart from a donor. The waiting list is not in any order, and patients are matched with donors based on the best match possible. While the patient waits for the donor heart, it is critical that he or she maintains good health.

The recipient's heart and the donor's heart are matched based on the following criteria:

  • Type of blood
  • Organ size of the donor
  • Antibodies that the receiver has produced
  • The amount of time spent on the waiting list

What Are the Consequences or Risk factors of a Heart Transplant?

Although heart transplant surgery improves one's quality of life, it still carries considerable hazards. Some of these dangers can be avoided with careful monitoring, treatment, and regular medical check-ups:

  • cancer.
  • infection.
  • The surgery was a failure.
  • Immunosuppressant side effects.
  • Consequences of leading such a sedentary lifestyle.

What are the advantages of a heart transplant?

  • The first and most important advantage of heart transplant surgery is that it is a life-saving procedure that extends the patient's life by many years.
  • It is the only way to save someone who has a severely damaged heart.
  • Reduces the need for long-term medicine.
  • After surgery, the recipient is given the opportunity to have an excellent quality of life.
  • Following surgery, the patient becomes more functional.

What is the rate of heart transplant surgery success?

  • After two years, the success rate of heart transplant surgery is 80 percent.
  • After 5 years of operation, the success rate of heart transplant surgery is 70%. A heart transplant can extend your life by up to 15 years.

What are reasons of success heart transplant surgery in India?

  • The application of high-tech equipment and surgical techniques.
  • Consistent access to high-quality medications.
  • People are becoming more aware of the necessity for heart transplant surgery.
  • Hospitals have been granted permission to perform this procedure because of its success.

How Much Does Heart Transplant Cost In India?

Starting USD 45,000 (INR 3,56,87,02). The cost of adult heart Transplant Surgery in India is often a fraction of what it costs in the United States and other affluent nations for the same treatment and care. The cost varies depending on the patient's diagnosis and condition, as well as the services provided. When compared to wealthy countries, the cost of these procedures is frequently twice as much as it is in India. The cost of Adult Heart Transplant Surgery in India could be determined by a few factors. These are divided into three categories: hospital, medical team, and patient-dependent factors, such as:

  • Type of hospital
  • The reputation of the medical team
  • Type of surgery
  • Type of Anaesthesia or Sedation
  • Patient room category
  • The location that patients choose

FAQs

The following are some of the warning indicators that you could need a heart transplant:

  • Fever or shivering.
  • Breathing difficulties.
  • Swelling/bleeding/redness.
  • Increased discomfort in the area of the incision.

If you have heart failure and your heart is having trouble pumping blood around your body, you should consider a heart transplant. Despite surgeries or drugs, this could be related to congenital problems, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathy.

People who are seriously ill are placed on a waiting list for a heart transplant. The United Network of Organ Sharing is in charge of the donor and cardiac organ lists. Patients are given organs based on their bodily size and weight, as well as their blood type.

Replacing a heart with a new one necessitates careful patient monitoring. The patient's body does not always accept the replacement organ. However, in nations like India, where world-class medical interventions have been established, a survival rate of close to 80-90 percent is possible.

The surgery normally takes between 5 and 6 hours to complete.

Yes, our way of living has a significant impact on how our bodies work. Diet plays an important part in preventing heart failure. Avoid smoking and cigarette intake, eat less sugar and salt, reduce unhealthy fat, and control your blood pressure and blood sugar levels just in case.

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