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Heart Transplant
Risks from heart transplant include:
- Rejection of the donor heart.
- To check for rejection, every 3 to 4 months surgeons test a sample (biopsy) of the heart tissue and also perform echocardiography, electrocardiography (ECG, EKG), or blood tests.
- If your body rejects the heart, you will receive additional drugs (such as immunosuppressants or steroids) to suppress your immune system so that it does not reject the donor heart. These additional drugs may have serious side effects, including an increased risk of infections and cancer.
- Other risks, such as:
- Side effects (for example, infections, ulcers, or bone loss) that may occur from steroid therapy used to suppress the immune system.
- Side effects that may occur from a drug (cyclosporine) given to prevent rejection of the donor heart.
- Clogging of the arteries (atherosclerosis) that may develop in the donor heart. (This is usually a complication and is an important limiting factor that affects long-term survival.)
- Death.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: August 9, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD - Cardiology | |
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