How do heart transplants work?
When the heart no longer works properly, a person may be lucky enough to receive a heart transplant. Doctors replace the diseased heart with a normal organ from a donor who has died. The donor organ is removed, cooled and kept in a special solution as it is transported to the patient. For the operation, the patient is hooked up to a heart-lung machine that pumps blood through the body, bypassing the heart and lungs. The breastbone is split in half and the patient’s heart is removed, except for the back walls of the atria, the heart’s upper chambers. These are connected to the backs of the atria on the new heart, which is then sewn in place. Once the blood vessels are re-connected, the heart may start beating on its own as it warms up, but sometimes an electric shock is needed to start it. Once the transplant is complete, the patient must take several medications, usually for the rest of his or her life. The most vital to survival are called immunosuppressants: These keep the body’s imm
