What is a heart transplant?

A heart transplant is a surgery in which the heart surgeon replaces a diseased heart from a person with a healthy one from an organ donor. Two or more healthcare providers must declare the donor brain-dead before removing the heart from the donor. A healthcare provider decides to put you on a waiting list for a heart transplant and determines if this is the best treatment choice for your heart failure.

If you need a heart transplant in Mumbai, visit the best heart surgeon and hospital to determine your treatment plan.

Why Do You Need a Heart Transplant?

If your heart fails and other treatments are not effective, you may need a heart transplant in India. When the heart muscle fails severely in its attempt to pump blood through the body, then it causes heart failure. But despite the heart failure, it does not mean that the heart is about to stop beating. The term heart failure in medical terms means that heart muscle is damaged or very weak and, thus, is failing to pump blood.

Some causes of heart failure include:

• Heart attack (myocardial infarction or MI)

• Viral infection of the heart muscle

• High blood pressure

• Heart valve disease

• Heart defects present at birth (congenital)

• Irregular heartbeats ( arrhythmias )

• High blood pressure in the lungs

• Alcoholism or drug abuse

• Chronic lung diseases, including emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• Heart muscle is thick, enlarged, and stiff ( cardiomyopathy )

• Low red blood cell count

How does Heart Transplant affect the heart?

If you want a heart transplant in India, then a donor's heart is matched to the recipient by blood type and body size. The doctor may recommend you take medications to prevent your immune system from rejecting the new heart. You may have to take immunosuppressive medication. To prevent rejection of your new heart with the risk of side effects, the medical team will balance the amount of immunosuppressive medication you need.

What to Expect Before a Heart Transplant in India

The Heart Transplant Waiting List

If you are eligible for a heart transplant, then you will be added to a waiting list for a donor's heart. Organs are usually matched for blood type and size of donor and recipient. You may have to wait from days to several months, which will depend on a recipient's blood type and condition.

Also, a person might be taken off the list for some time if he or she has a severe medical event, such as an infection, stroke, or kidney failure.

But you will continue to receive ongoing treatment for heart failure and other medical conditions while being on the waiting list.

How should you prepare for a heart transplant?

Every major heart problem does not need a heart transplant. For a heart transplant in Mumbai, a team will evaluate whether a person is eligible for a transplant.

The transplant evaluation process will include:

• Psychological and social evaluation.
• Blood tests.
• Diagnostic tests, such as X-rays, CT scans, ultrasound procedures, pulmonary function tests (PFTs), and dental exams.
• Other preparations, such as getting several vaccines

The heart transplant team will analyze the information from your medical history, the results from your physical exam, interviews, and your diagnostic test result to decide if you are eligible for a heart transplant. For a heart transplant in India, you will be asked to sign a consent form that gives your permission to do the surgery.

What Constitutes the Heart Transplant Team?
The team often include a:

• Cardiologist (an expert doctor who diagnose and treat heart problems)
• Cardiovascular surgeon
• Transplant coordinator
• Social worker
• Dietitian
• Psychiatrist
• Nurse practitioners
• Anesthesiologist

What To Expect After a Heart Transplant

Staying in the Hospital

After a heart transplant in Mumbai, you may have to spend time in the hospital, depending on your medical condition. Recovery usually takes 2 to 3 weeks. You will be monitored continuously by the transplant team at the heart transplant center.

The doctor may also perform a biopsy to find if your body is rejecting the new heart. You will have to watch for signs and symptoms that your body is rejecting the organ. These signs and symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Reduced amounts of urine

You may also have to undergo cardiac rehabilitation (rehab) program, which is a medically supervised program that aids in improving the health and well-being of people who have heart problems.

Preventing Rejection

After a heart transplant in India, you will have to take medicine to suppress your immune system so that it doesn't reject the new heart. These medicines are known as immunosuppressants. If you have side effects, then your doctor may change or adjust your transplant medicines.

Preventing Infection

Also, some transplant medicines can augment your risk of infection. The doctor may ask you to watch for signs of infection, including fever, cold sores, sore throat, and flu-like symptoms. It is essential that you carefully look for these signs because transplant medicines can sometimes mask them.

Consult your doctor as to what steps you should take to reduce your risk of infection.