What happens during a heart transplant?
A heart transplant procedure normally takes between three and five hours. Orthotopic transplant is the name of the transplant operation where the recipient heart is replaced with a healthy donor heart. The procedure is performed under general anaesthetic. When you are asleep, you will be laid on your back on the operating table with your arms at your sides. A catheter will be inserted in order to drain your bladder during and after the operation and you will be connected to a bypass machine. This acts as an artificial heart, circulating and oxygenating your blood while the heart transplant is being performed. An incision is made over your breastbone and the bone is separated so the surgeon has access to your heart. Your heart is removed, leaving behind a portion of the right and left atria (the top right chamber) behind. The new heart is then connected to the aorta, pulmonary artery and the remaining part of the atria. When the heart begins to function and the medical team is happy, yo
