Brother and sister tell of life-saving heart transplants

Aug 29 2009 by Helen Rae, The Journal

The facts

CARDIOMYOPATHY is a major cause of heart failure and leads to the need for many transplant operations every year.

It is a serious disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn’t work as well as it should. There may be multiple causes including viral infections.

Cardiomyopathy can be classified as primary or secondary.

Primary cardiomyopathy can’t be attributed to a specific cause, such as high blood pressure, heart valve disease, artery diseases or congenital heart defects.

Secondary cardiomyopathy is due to specific causes. It’s often associated with diseases involving other organs as well as the heart.

Most cardiomyopathy results as a complication of coronary artery disease, which occurs when the arteries that deliver blood to the heart become blocked. These cardiomyopathies affect about one out of 100 people, usually men over 65 years old.

A vital service that needs your help

ORGAN donation is the removal of the tissues of the human body from a person who has recently died, or from a living donor, for the purpose of transplanting.

Organs and tissues are removed in procedures similar to surgery.

People of all ages may be organ and tissue donors.

Donor hearts are given based on the donor’s blood type and body weight, and the potential recipient’s blood type, body weight, severity of illness and geographic location.

All organs are screened to make sure the hepatitis B and C and human immunodeficiency (Aids-producing) viruses aren’t present.

A heart can be disconnected from a person’s circulation for about four hours and still work properly, so as a result time is critical.

When the heart is removed, the transplant team puts it in a special cold solution to keep it alive (even though it is not beating).

Then it is rushed to the hospital where the recipient is located.

The recipient’s damaged heart is removed and the donor heart is implanted.

If you’ve not signed up to the NHS Organ Donor Register, you can do so by calling the NHS Organ Donor Line on 0845 606-0400 or by visiting www.uktransplant.org.uk