Understanding Heart Transplantation—Gift of Life

Abstract

Heart transplantation (HTx) provides a longer and better quality of life to patients with end-stage heart failure when all other options of treatment have been exhausted. There are nearly 500 heart donors yearly in India. Approximately 60 cases of HTx are performed every year; 70% survival rate is for nearly 1 year whereas 30% survival rate is for 10 years. Scarcity of donors is further complicated by the use of single organ, heart injury with common brain-death injuries, difficulty with ex vivo preservation, heart disease among donors, and complexity of the operation.