title: The Path From Heart Failure to Cardiac Transplant.
abstract: Heart failure is a progressive and fatal disease impacting millions of American each year. Divided into stages, heart failure presents with progressive symptoms requiring a wide range of medical treatments. Treatments include diet and lifestyle changes, medications, electrical therapies (defibrillator and/or cardiac resynchronization therapy), as well as mechanical circulatory support. Cardiac transplant is the gold standard treatment of heart failure, although the availability of donors limits the utility of a cardiac transplant. This article outlines heart failure treatments and the indications, contraindications, and pretransplant evaluation for a cardiac transplant. Information on the allocation of donor hearts and donor characteristics is also included for the reader.
authors.affiliation: Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor (Mss Freeman, Koerner, Clark, and Halabicky); and University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor (Mss Freeman and Halabicky).
authors.forename: Regi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koerner
authors.forename: Courtney
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Halabicky
mesh_terms: D006333:Heart Failure / Q000145:classification / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000592:standards*; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000600:supply & distribution