[The heart transplant: the current status].
Interest in cardiac transplantation started with the investigations of Carrel in 1905. Clinical experience started in 1967 but early results were discouraging mainly due to difficulties with diagnosis and treatment of rejection. The introduction of cardiac biopsy to diagnose and cyclosporine to treat rejection vastly improved the success of the procedure. Large number of patients have been operated in different centers and criteria for selecting or excluding patients have emerged. Selection of the donor and improvements in surgical technique have also contributed to better results. Currently, 80% survival in the first year and 70% at 5 years are to be expected, and cardiac transplantation is a definite therapeutic option for selected patients with end-stage cardiac disease. However, significant problems remain to be solved, such as cyclosporin nephrotoxicity, secondary hypertension and occlusive vascular disease of the transplanted heart.
Morán
S
S
Facultad de Medicina, P Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago.
D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D014019:Tissue Donors
Trasplante cardíaco: estado actual.