How long will the heart transplantation surgery take? How long will I need to be in the hospital after my heart transplant?

For each heart transplant performed, there is a primary recipient and a backup recipient. If for some reason the primary recipient cannot receive the heart, the heart then goes to the backup. After you are notified at home or by pager about a donor heart transplant, it is typically several hours before you are taken to the operating room, so you do not need to rush.

While you are being prepared for your surgery, another team of surgeons is retrieving the heart from the organ donor (“procuring”). They are making sure that the donor heart is a healthy heart for you to receive. After the heart is removed from the donor, there is a 4-hour window in which it needs to be transplanted into you. Your wait, however, is likely to be longer than this.

After it is removed, the donor heart is cooled and placed in a special solution for preservation until it is ready to be transplanted. During the operation you are placed on a heart–lung machine (“cardiopulmonary bypass”). This machine is hooked up to your arteries and veins and allows your body to receive vital oxygen and nutrients from the blood even though the heart is being operated on.

After you receive general anesthesia and are asleep, the cardiothoracic surgeon makes an incision in your breastbone (sternum). The surgeon then removes your diseased heart, except for the back walls of the atria (the heart’s upper chambers). The backs of the atria on the new heart are then opened, and the new heart is sewn into place. The surgeon then connects the major blood vessels, allowing blood to flow through the heart and lungs. As the transplanted heart warms up and blood flow is restored, it starts beating. An initial electric shock may be needed to help it restart the heartbeat. You are then weaned off the bypass machine with the help of your new heart.

It is a complicated operation that can last from 4 to 10 hours. After surgery you are transferred to the cardiothoracic intensive care unit to begin your recovery process.

How quickly you recover after your heart transplant depends on your age, overall health, and response to the transplant. Most patients are up and about within a few days after the surgery. If there are no signs of acute rejection, you can go home within 1 to 2 weeks after your transplant.