heart transplants

    Cards (7)

    • Heart transplant

      Required in cases of heart failure
    • Coronary heart disease

      Can lead to heart failure
    • Heart failure
      Heart fails to pump sufficient blood and organs are starved of oxygen
    • Heart transplant procedure
      1. Consultant assesses patient's condition
      2. If other treatments not managing, transplant may be recommended
      3. Patient put on waiting list
    • Heart transplant
      • Puts major strain on the body
      • Benefits and risks evaluated including severity of condition and other health factors
    • Artificial hearts
      • Plastic devices used occasionally to keep patients alive whilst waiting for a heart transplant
      • Can also be used to allow a patient's heart to rest to help it recover
    • After the transplant, the patient will
      1. Need time to heal, recover and build up strength
      2. Have to take drugs called immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their life - this prevents the person's immune system from rejecting the donor heart
      3. Have an increased risk of infection because of these drugs
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