Heart transplant surgery involves removal of damaged heart of the recipient, harvesting the donor’s heart and implanting it in the recipient’s body. Heart transplant candidates are typically those whose heart cannot pump sufficient amount of blood supply, or patients who have “end-stage” heart diseases.

Patients suffering from bad diabetes mellitus, cancer and any active infection are not eligible for getting heart transplantation. Post transplantation, the recipient may feel weak, fatigued, feverish or may show flue like symptoms (dizziness, diarrhoea, vomiting, headaches, chills), which vividly suggest that his/her body is rejecting the alien organ which has been transplanted.

Patients below 55 years of age and getting heart transplants at highly-reputed hospitals are likely to survive at least 10 years more than those above the age criteria.

Heart transplant recovery time is long, and it can stretch up to six months. The patient will be removed from the ICU after two to three days post surgery but he or she will have stay in the hospital for one to three weeks more to get healed properly.