Question:
My sister was told her daughter needs a heart transplant. Can you provide me with information about this?

Answer:
Heart transplantation involves replacing a failing heart with a new one (donor heart). Children undergo heart transplantation for two primary reasons -- a congenital heart defect or severe malfunction of the heart muscle. Heart transplantation is considered when there are no other medical or surgical options. The hearts are donated from someone who has suffered an injury resulting in death of his or her brain, but not the other vital organs and whose family has agreed to make the heart and other organs available for donation. Many children who receive heart transplants live years longer than they otherwise would have and have an excellent quality of life.

Children who need heart transplants are placed on a waiting list administered by a national agency called United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS). The waiting time for a heart can range from days to months (even more than a year) and depends on multiple factors including size, blood type, and whether the patient is hospitalized on intravenous heart medications.

Patients who receive a heart transplant need to be on medications to prevent their own body from attacking the heart (rejection). This is because the body’s defense system against infection (immune system) recognizes the heart as a foreign body and tries to damage it. Unfortunately, these medicines have many side effects, including making the body more susceptible to a dangerous infections, damaging the kidneys, and even cancer. Frequent visits (at least every three months) to the transplant cardiology team are required for close monitoring.