Cardiac transplantation.
Based on the Stanford series of 188 patients, we emphasize that orthotopic cardiac transplantation represents a reasonable therapeutic option for the patient with inoperable end-stage heart disease. Current expectations for survival equal those for organ survival in cadaver renal transplant series and offer a rehabilitation potential of over 90%. Most of the complications limiting survival are due to the currently available means of immunosuppression and, therefore, advances in the field of immunosuppression can be expected to have a major positive influence on survival rates.
D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D013256:Steroids / Q000009:adverse effects; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D013256:Steroids