Risks of Heart Transplant

Heart transplantation is a complicated procedure that needs expertise from the medical team to be successful. There are many severe complications involved in the operation. While some complications occur soon after the procedure, others may develop after months or even years from the day of operation.

Some of the major risks associated with a heart transplant are –

Rejection –

One of the saddest and the most common complications in a heart transplant is the rejection of the donor heart. It happens when the immune system recognizes the transplanted heart as foreign and attacks it like it is a foreign body.Rejection can occur days, weeks or months after the transplant. It can also happen years later.Immunosuppressant medications are given to reduce the risk of organ rejection, but it doesn’t always succeeding in prevention of the rejection.

Symptoms of rejection –

• Chills and aches
• Fatigue 
• Shortness of breath
• Puffy and swollen ankles
• Irregular heartbeats
• Raised temperature
• Abdominal pain

If you experience any such symptoms, contact your transplant team immediately. Rejection is treated by increasing the dose of immunosuppressant medication.

Graft failure –

It is a serious complication when soon after a heart transplant, the heart fails and does not work properly.This is called as graft failure or primary graft dysfunction. This symptom occurs in 5-10% of heart transplant cases. It can be fatal some times.

Treatments for graft failure -

• medications to support the new heart
• use of breathing machine (ventilator) to help the oxygen reach the blood
• use of mechanical device to do the work of the new heart
• use of bypass machine to keep the circulation working the new heart improves

Immunosuppressant side effects –

The immunosuppressant medications to prevent rejection can have significant side effects like increased vulnerability to infections, weight gain, kidney problems, diabetes, high blood pressure and weakened bones.

Immunosuppressant medication will also weaken your immune system and make you susceptible to infection.