Heart Transplant

Heart failure occurs when the heart can no longer pump enough blood to adequately supply the body, leading to circulatory issues, weakness and other problems. If the condition becomes too serious to be helped by other means, one option may be a heart transplant.

In this procedure, the chest is opened (sternotomy) and the patient’s failing heart is removed and replaced by a healthy heart from a deceased donor. During the surgery, the patient is placed on a cardiopulmonary bypass (heart-lung) machine.

Heart transplant is a high-risk, inpatient procedure, only appropriate for otherwise healthy patients who are committed to taking care of their new heart. If the patient is ruled a candidate for transplant, there is a waiting period for a donor heart, followed by a lifetime of care and monitoring.

However, the procedure cannot only save the patient’s life but allow them to return to many activities that would have been impossible for someone with severe heart failure.

Learn more about the heart transplant process by reading our Heart Transplant FAQs.

• Acute Pulmonary Embolism
• Cardiac Sarcoidosis
• Cardiogenic Shock
• Cardiomyopathy
• Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH)
• Congenital Heart Disease
• Dyspnea
• Endocarditis
• Heart Failure
• Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
• Inherited Cardiomyopathy
• Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
• Pulmonary Hypertension
• Right Heart Failure

An Experienced Team Offers Expanded Transplant Criteria

Patients considering a heart transplant need a knowledgeable team of physicians, nurses, and other specialists to guide them through this long process. Temple sees thousands of heart transplant patients each year. We offer new mechanical circulatory support solutions — and even a Total Artificial Heart — which may greatly increase quality of life for patients awaiting a transplant, as well as for patients who are not deemed eligible.

Temple’s heart transplant program is one of the most experienced in the world, having performed more than 1,140 heart transplants — including many dual-organ transplants (such as heart/lung and heart/kidney). Our surgeons have also pioneered methods to make donor organs more available and avoid post-transplant complications. Patients benefit from Temple’s leading-edge facilities and ability to bring together skilled specialists across fields.

In 2019, Temple expanded its heart transplant guidelines to help more patients qualify for this lifesaving surgery. Instead of having strict cutoffs due to age or medical condition, we evaluate each patient individually and make decisions based on their unique clinical and personal history. This broader criteria means we often accept patients other hospitals turn down for transplantation.

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Find a doctor near you, request an appointment, or call 800-TEMPLE-MED (800-836-7536) today.