title: Cardiac transplantation: patient selection in the current era.
abstract: Heart transplantation is a treatment option available to patients with end-stage heart failure who meet standardized selection criteria for transplant. Through a rigorous evaluation process, professionals set out to establish the patient's severity of heart failure, screen for comorbidities that may negatively affect survival, and assess psychosocial variables necessary for successful outcomes following transplantation. Because of a limited donor organ supply, each of these factors must be examined carefully to assure that this scarce resource is used to its greatest potential benefit.
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Transplant Coordinator, Center for Heart Failure Therapy and Transplantation, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. corby.d'amico@emoryhealthcare.org
authors.forename: Corby L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: D'Amico
mesh_terms: D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D000075202:Contraindications; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D018579:Patient Selection; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015996:Survival Rate; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014850:Waiting Lists