Heart-and-lung transplant

Alternative names:

transplant of the heart and lungs

Definition:

Surgery to replace a diseased heart and lungs with a healthy heart and lungs from a human donor.

Description:

Heart-and-lung transplant operations have been performed since 1980 in the United States. The donated heart and lungs are from a human who has been declared brain-dead but remains on life-support. Tissue matches must be made to assure the patient's best chance of fighting off rejection of the transplanted tissue.

While the patient is deep asleep and pain-free (general anesthesia), an incision is made through the breast bone (sternum). Tubes are used to re-route the blood to a heart-lung bypass machine to keep the blood oxygenated and circulating during the surgery.

The patient's heart and lungs are removed and the donor heart and lungs are stitched into place.

Indications:

Heart-lung transplant may be recommended for patients with:

• severely diseased lungs such as primary pulmonary hypertension
• severely damaged heart

Heart-and-lung transplants are not recommended for patients who have decreased kidney or liver function, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, or other serious diseases.