When a Heart Becomes Available

Because a donor heart can only be preserved for four hours, we must move quickly once a heart becomes available. Therefore, we ask that you have a suitcase packed so you will be ready to leave for the hospital when you are called. Do not eat or drink anything after you are called for your transplant.

You will be admitted to the hospital's Cardiac Intensive Car Unit (CICU). Blood tests and a chest x-ray will be performed after admission. It is important that you and your family realize there are factors that could cause plans for the transplant to change at any time. The donor heart must be strong and healthy, and you must be free from infections for the transplant to take place.

The Transplant Surgery

For the transplant surgery, an incision about eight or nine inches long will be made along your breast bone. Your breast bone will be cut by the surgeon after you are asleep in order to expose your chest cavity and heart. The surgeon will remove your heart, leaving portions of the right and left atria in place. The donor heart will be attached to these remaining parts.

In the process of removing your heart and placing the donor heart in position, some of the nerves in your chest will be cut. This is called denervation. Because of denervation, you will be less able to sense pain in your chest after transplantation. Since these nerves also help regulate the rate of your heartbeat, small temporary pacemaker wires will be attached to your heart during surgery, and brought out through the skin near the base of the incision. They are attached to a temporary pacemaker box to help regulate your heart rate for a short time after surgery, if needed. The pacemaker wires are removed before you go home.

Your doctor or transplant coordinator will further explain denervation to you and will teach you some ways in which you can compensate for its effects.