Heart Transplant Life Expectancy

A heart transplant is a surgical process where a diseased heart is removed from a patient and is replaced with a donor heart. This process is made possible by a mechanical pump that circulates blood through the body during the surgery. During the lengthy procedure, the 'new' heart is linked to the major blood vessels and connected to a mechanism that temporarily controls the heartbeat.

A heart transplant can drastically improve the person's quality of life and life expectancy. However, waiting lists are long and there is a scarcity of donor organs, which is why they must be judiciously used, to provide maximum benefit. A person is a good candidate for heart transplant if he/she has end-stage  and is not responding or benefiting from conventional therapy. Most people who have to consider this option are concerned about heart transplant life expectancy and success rate. Read on.