heart transplantation [AS, hoerte + L, transplantare] , the surgical removal of a donor heart and transfer of the organ to a recipient. The donor heart is usually obtained from an accident victim who was healthy before dying, and it is used to replace the severely diseased heart of another person. Most recipients survive for more than 1 year, and nearly three-fourths are able to return to work. Total ischemic time for the transplanted heart is less than 6 hours between donor and recipient. The heart is transplanted with anastomoses of the aorta, pulmonary artery, and atria; venous return is provided by an anastomosis between the recipient’s right atrium and that of the transplanted organ.
