What To Expect During a Heart Transplant

Just before the heart transplant surgery, patients will get general anesthesia (AN-es-THE-ze-a). The term "anesthesia" refers to a loss of feeling and awareness. General anesthesia temporarily puts you to sleep.

A bypass machine is hooked up to the arteries and veins of the heart. The machine pumps blood through the patient's lungs and body while the diseased heart is removed and the donor heart is sewn into place.

Heart Transplant

Figure A shows where the diseased heart is cut for removal. Figure B shows where the transplanted healthy heart is sutured (stitched) to the recipient's arteries and veins.

Heart transplant surgery usually takes about 4 hours. Patients often spend the first days after surgery in the intensive care unit of the hospital.