Indications/Exclusions

The indication for heart transplantation is end-stage heart disease affecting quality of life or expected survival of the patient. Such end-stage heart disease usually is a result of:

• Dilated cardiomyopathy
• Ischemic cardiomyopathy
• Valvular cardiomyopathy
• Congenital heart disease
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Criteria for heart transplantation include:

• Advanced heart failure with marked exercise limitation unresponsive to medical therapy
• Life threatening coronary anatomy not amenable to coronary bypass surgery
• Life threatening ventricular arrhythmias

Excluding Reasons
Exclusion criteria include the following:

• Active smoking
• Active substance abuse and/or alcohol abuse
• HIV positive
• History of cancer with a risk of reoccurence
• Active infection
• Active peptic ulcer disease
• Severe aortic iliac disease
• Recent pulmonary infarction less than six weeks
• Endstage organ failure other than heart
• Irreversible pulmonary hypertension despite prolonged use of inotropes and vasodilators
• Obesity greater than 130 percent of ideal body weight

Related Links
Transplantation Services