At Banner Health, our heart transplant team is committed to keeping you and your loved ones informed at every stage of care. Read on to learn the answers to some of the most frequently asked heart transplant questions. Your health care provider or care team can give you more detailed information tailored to your needs.
A heart transplant is a surgical procedure where your failing heart is removed and replaced with a donor heart. It can be a treatment for advanced heart failure when other options don’t work. It’s different from other heart procedures or surgeries because other procedures try to improve the health of your own heart without removing and replacing it.
To qualify for a heart transplant, you need to have advanced heart failure, cardiomyopathy or another serious heart condition that isn’t managed well with other treatments. You also need to meet other physical requirements to be able to receive a transplant and benefit from it. A team of health care professionals will evaluate whether you are a candidate for a heart transplant.
A team made up of a surgeon, cardiologist, nutritionist, social worker and behavioral health specialist will evaluate you. They will review your heart health and overall health, screen you for infections and make sure you have the emotional, social and financial resources and support you need. The evaluation process usually takes one to three months.
Heart transplants can be performed on anyone at any age, including newborns. For people 70 years of age and older, other treatments may be better options. Your health care provider can explain more about how your age may impact your eligibility.
You’re placed on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waitlist with a status ranging from 1 (least healthy) to 6 (most healthy). You’ll be matched with a donor based on your health, blood type, body size and geographic location. Your care team will stay in contact with you so you understand how long you might expect to wait for a donor heart.
Heart transplantation is a major surgery and a big change to your body. You may face risks such as:
Your care team will work with you closely to watch for any risks and take steps to reduce them. It’s important to share any concerns you have with them.
Banner Health provides a coordinated team that’s committed to working with you as you prepare for heart transplant surgery through your recovery and beyond. Your team may include:
The time varies but typically the range is three to seven hours. Your care team will explain what timeframes to expect in your surgery.
You’ll move through several stages as you recover from a heart transplant:
Most people return to normal activities within six months to a year. The first year is an important time for watching for signs of infection or rejection.
After you’re released from the hospital, you’ll see your provider weekly or more often. Your appointments become more spaced out as you recover and after the first year you’ll probably be checked every few months.
Your care team will talk to you about how far away from the hospital you should be in the first few weeks after you get released. You’ll need to have a lot of follow-up appointments at first, so your care team can check for signs of infection or rejection.
Usually, you’ll see your quality of life gradually improve. Many people return to work, hobbies, social lives, intimacy and more after a heart transplant and live for many years.
The people who have the most positive outcomes from transplant surgery are those who:
Work and travel are both possible after you’ve recovered from a heart transplant. Your care team can help you understand the timeline for returning to work, based on your health and the type of work you do. You should talk to your care team about any travel plans so you can take steps to prevent infections, get up to date on your vaccinations and make sure you’re traveling to a place where you can access care if needed.
Yes. You should follow a heart-healthy diet and avoid any foods that put you at higher risk of food poisoning. You may need to avoid certain foods that could cause interactions with your medications.
Yes. You’ll start exercising as part of your cardiac rehab and can increase your physical activity with precautions as you recover.
Most private insurance companies, Medicare plans and Medicaid cover many of the costs of heart transplantation. You’ll want to review your policy to check exactly what’s covered and what types of limits, co-pays, deductibles, exclusions or other costs you might face. Banner’s financial counselors and transplant social work team will help you understand what you may have to pay.
A heart transplant may last 10 years or more. With new developments, some people have had transplanted hearts last much longer than that.
It’s important to take your immunosuppressant medication as prescribed so you’re less likely to have a rejection. If your body rejects the transplant, treatment depends on the type of rejection, how serious it is, your symptoms and other health problems you have.
That depends on what you want and what the donor’s family wants. You may have the option to reach out to the donor family. Your heart transplant team will discuss your options with you when a heart is available.
If you or a loved one has been told you may need a heart transplant, the Banner Health transplant team is here to help.
Talk to your cardiologist about scheduling a consultation with us.
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