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Waiting for a Donor Organ
Heart transplant candidates are placed on a national computerized waiting list for organ allocations maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), an organization that oversees organ sharing among transplant centers. Once a match is made for the most appropriate recipient using the UNOS computer registry, LifeLink of Georgia, an independent, non-profit tissue and organ recovery agency that serves the state, arranges for the donated organ to be surgically removed, preserved and transported to the appropriate transplant center. Donor organs are matched to recipients by characteristics including blood type, weight, urgency of need and length of time on the waiting list. In general, preference is given to recipients from the donor's geographic area because timing is a critical element in the organ procurement process.
Waiting times are unpredictable. Most candidates wait outside of the hospital, carrying beepers or cell phones that will alert them if they are not at home when an appropriate donor organ has become available. During this period, the patient's medical team will monitor the condition of the patient's heart and other organs and alter treatment as necessary.
Depending on the severity of their condition, some candidates may have to wait in the hospital. If medical therapy alone becomes insufficient to support the patient's vital organ function, Emory physicians may recommend implantation of a ventricular assist device (VAD) to support the function of the heart. Often referred to as a bridge to transplantation because of its ability to sustain the heart until a donor organ becomes available, a VAD is a battery-operated mechanical pump that assists the weakened heart in pumping blood throughout the body.
Please note that the first call to patients doesn't always mean the transplant will occur. Occasionally, close examination reveals that the donor organ isn't strong or healthy enough. In such rare cases, care will continue to be provided and the wait will resume without any negative effects on future waiting time.
More detailed information on preparing for heart transplant surgery and the procedure itself will be provided by the patient's medical team and the patient education handbook issued to those who are placed on the UNOS waiting list.
Patient Survival Rates Following Adult Heart Transplant
The Adult Cardiac Transplant Service at Emory has one of the most impressive patient and graft survival rates in the nation:
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Thirty days: 97% |
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One Year: 92% |
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Three Years: 85% |
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Five Years: 75% |
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