Have you ever wondered how decisions about who should be given a heart transplant are made? The surgery has successfully been performed on newborn babies, as well as senior citizens. Unfortunately, not everyone who needs a new heart will receive one since there is a shortage of organs available for transplant.

A heart (or any other organ) may only be harvested and used for transplant purposes if the donor is brain dead and on a respirator. The next of kin must consent to the procedure as well. This can be difficult choice for people who are struggling to cope with the death of a loved one.

The person who is a good candidate for a heart transplant is someone who has heart disease and who is likely to have an increased life expectancy or quality of life afterward. A person who has had previous heart surgery or who currently has diabetes will not necessarily be excluded from the list of potential heart transplant recipients. Likewise, having undergone treatment for cancer doesn’t necessarily mean that a person can’t be put on the list.

Reasons a Heart Transplant Candidate may be Excluded

A person may be excluded from being placed on the heart transplant list if they have severe pulmonary disease or malignancies which have not yet been treated.

A person with an untreated addiction to chemicals or a substance is also not a good candidate for a heart transplant.

Following the surgery, the individual must follow a specialized treatment plan set out by his or her doctors. The patient will need to take anti-rejection drugs which cause a number of side effects, including the potential for weight gain and retaining fluid. A heart-healthy diet helps to counteract them, and is a good choice for overall health as well.

There are approximately 2,200 heart transplants performed in the United States each year, according to the American Heart Association. In 2008, 57 recipients of new hearts were between the ages of 6-10. The number one reason why a person may need to be placed on the transplant list for a heart is due to an infection.

Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, can lead to serious health consequences if left untreated. If the condition is not addressed in time, it can develop into heart failure. At that point, the patient needs a transplant in order to survive.

Being put on the transplant list is no guarantee that a heart of the right size and blood type will become available in time. Whether a match can be found unfortunately comes down to the “luck of the draw.”