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Scheduling First Consultation
Evaluation for Heart Transplant Eligibility
Clinical Location
Scheduling First Consultation
Referring physicians should contact the Emory Center for Heart Failure Therapy and Transplantation at 404-778-5544 to schedule patients for initial consultations to determine eligibility for heart transplant. The following information is required:
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Physician's name, address and telephone number |
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Patient's name, address and telephone number |
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Patient's date of birth |
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Patient's social security number |
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Diagnosis and date of diagnosis |
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Prior treatment, if any |
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Insurance information |
Evaluation for Heart Transplant Eligibility
Initially, Emory nurses and cardiologists consider whether lifestyle and medication changes might improve the patient's symptoms and long-term prognosis. Patients will also be assessed by representatives of Emory psychiatric, nutritional, social and financial services.
Patients must then have a series of tests to measure the extent of disease, the potential for benefit from a heart transplant, the functionality of other organs in the body and if the patient's overall physical condition can withstand the rigors of transplantation. These tests will include:
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Laboratory blood work |
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An echocardiogram |
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Right heart catheterization, performed to evaluate pressures in the heart and lungs |
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Exercise stress tests |
To be a candidate for heart transplant, patients must meet the following criteria:
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Have end-stage cardiac disease due to poor cardiac function or intractable ventricular arrhythmias that aren't treatable with medications and/or other operations |
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Have no other serious diseases or medical obstacles to long-term survival |
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Be under 68 years old |
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Have a high likelihood of becoming reasonably healthy post-transplant with a life expectancy of at least five-to-ten years |
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Possess a clear understanding of the procedure and its limitations |
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Be able to comply with long-term follow-up requirements |
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Have a solid support network of family and/or friends |
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Be capable of managing the psychological stresses that can be caused by the stages of the transplantation process, from waiting for a donor organ to recovering from the procedure to the potential side effects of the post-transplant medication regimen |
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Be free of active drug, tobacco and/or alcohol abuse |
Once approved as a candidate, the patient will be scheduled to meet with a division transplant surgeon.
Clinical Location
Patients are initially evaluated at the Emory Center for Heart Failure Therapy and Transplantation, located at:
Emory Clinic Building A
Tunnel Level
1365 Clifton Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30322
Telephone: 404-778-5544, 1-800-43-HEART
Upon confirmation of candidacy for heart transplant, patients will be scheduled to see an Emory cardiac transplant surgeon at the Cardiothoracic Surgery Suite, also located in Emory Clinic Building A, 2nd floor.
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