Heart Transplant

Overview

In heart transplant, doctors replace a poorly functioning heart with a healthier heart from a donor. In most cases, people undergo heart transplant only after changes in lifestyle and treatment with medications or other procedures haven't improved their condition. The benefits of heart transplant can be significant, but the procedure also carries risks.

Why choose Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic Heart Transplant Program encompasses heart, heart-lung and lung transplant, as well as the use of ventricular assist devices for infants, children and adults. Mayo Clinic's heart transplant team includes cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, and dedicated transplant specialists trained in dermatology, endocrinology, infectious diseases, nephrology and psychiatry. The Mayo Clinic team completed its first heart transplant in 1988 and each year performs about 25 transplants.

Mayo Clinic's transplant outcomes compare favorably with national norms. Read more about volumes and statistics for heart transplant.

The transplant team offers several innovative programs including:

• Amyloid heart disease. Doctors at Mayo Clinic have been able to carefully select patients whose systemic amyloidosis is under sufficient control to allow heart transplantation.
• Transplant of children and adults who have complex congenital heart disease. A team of professionals trained in treating congenital heart disease cares for people who have heart transplantation.
• Transplant for pulmonary hypertension. Mayo Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic offers state-of-the-art therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
• Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as bridge or destination. Heart pumps can be used to support the left ventricle alone.
• Transplant of newborns and infants. The transplant team reviews the diagnostic data of newborns, infants and children who have heart disease and evaluates those who may be candidates for transplantation.

Mayo Clinic transplant teams in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota apply novel techniques to improve care. Mayo Clinic doctors have significant experience using immunosuppressive medications that prevent a transplant patient's body from rejecting newly grafted organs. One notable immunosuppressant, sirolimus (or rapamycin) has been shown to help improve kidney function and prevent coronary artery disease in certain heart transplant patients. Read more about research.

Patients also have opportunities to participate in heart transplant research studies and clinical trials. Your doctor will evaluate you to determine if you might be a candidate to participate in a clinical trial.

Read more about heart transplant at MayoClinic.com.