What Are the Cons of Heart Transplants?

A heart transplant is a surgical procedure in which a patient's malfunctioning heart is removed and replaced with a healthy heart. Heart-transplant surgery carries serious risks to consider before going through with the procedure.

Finding a Donor Match

Finding a donor may be difficult. The United Network for Organ Donors reports that as of November 2009, approximately 3,000 people are on the waiting list for a heart donor. If a donor is found within close enough proximity to safely transfer the heart, the patient must still match the donor tissue type.

Heart-Assistance Devices

Donors who cannot find a heart donor also have the option to use heart-assistance devices. Some devices help a damaged heart function, while other devices help to strengthen the heart.

Surgery Risks

Risks during surgery include bleeding and a reaction to anaesthetics, according to the National Institutes of Health guide to heart transplants. Problems that can arise after surgery include blood clots, infection and rejection of the organ.

Rejection

Rejection occurs when your body's immune system attacks the new heart because it does not recognize it as an organ. According to the NIH, immune system suppressing drugs are given to keep the immune system from attacking the new heart that is identified as an invader. According to chfpatients.com, at least 40 percent of heart transplant patients will experience at least one rejection occurrence. The risk of rejection is highest right after surgery, but heart transplant patients must continue to take anti-rejection drugs throughout their lives.

Considerations

According to CHFpatients.com, the average cost of a heart transplant is $148,000, but some heart transplants can cost as much as $287,000. The recovery time for a heart transplant is substantial. According to the NIH guide to heart transplants, hospital stays after a heart transplant can be up to 21 days long. The expected recovery period for a heart transplant surgery is six months.

Survival Rates

According to the American Heart Association, approximately 78 percent of male transplant recipients and 76 percent of female transplant recipients survive more than three years.