the ischemic time by about ten minutes [4]. However, surgeons find the bicaval method to be significantly more advantageous because they can avoid the right atrium, allowing for a better atrial transport in the heart. In an orthotropic procedure, a median sternotomy is performed in which the mediastinum, or the partition between the two body cavities, is exposed [3]. Here, the pericardium, or the membrane that encompasses the heart, is opened, followed by the dissection of the great vessels, which include the superior and inferior vena cava, pulmonary arteries and veins, and the aorta [3]. Afterwards the patient is attached to a cardiopulmonary bypass or a heartlung machine, and his or her diseased heart is removed by transecting the great vessels and a portion of the left atrium, leaving the pulmonary arteries in place. The cardiac allograft is then trimmed to be properly positioned and sutured on top of the patient’s remaining portion of the left atrium. This new heart can be restarted through electrical shock. After proper heart rate is detected, the patient is removed from the cardiopulmonary bypass, tubes are attached to a suction device that drains the fluids away from the heart, and both the sternum and the skin over it are sewn together. In order to cover the initial incision, surgical staples or sutures are put into place, marking the end of the surgical procedure. During the initial period of recovery, temporary wires may be inserted to the pacemaker in order to monitor the rate of beating. One of the biggest challenges that a patient faces is his or her body’s response to such a drastic change. A human’s
immune system is naturally trained to fight against the presence of any foreign substance, which includes both infectious pathogens and transplanted tissue. As a result, when the new organ is placed in the recipient’s body, the immune system falsely identifies the organ as an invader of the body. In order to reverse this instinct, the patient is given immunosuppression medications such as cyclosporine, azathioprine, Prednisone, or Methotrexate in order to help the body accept the donor and treat it as a beneficial unit [2]. These medications are given to the patient before and after the procedure [2]. After the heart transplant, the patient is moved to the ICU, or intensive care unit, where his or her body’s progress and response are carefully monitored. Human beings have a right to live their lives without the constant fear of a failing heart. However, a time may come when the body’s deterioration is unendurable. At these times, only the miracle of a heart transplant is capable of restoring healthy life back to the body. References 1. “Heart Transplantation Procedure.” http://www.hopkinsmedicine. org/healthlibrar y/test_procedures/cardiovascular/hear t_ transplantation_procedure_92,P07974/. 2. “Patient's Guide to Heart Transplant Surgery.” http://www.cts.usc.edu/ ht-pg-hearttransplantprocedure.html. 3. McRae, Donald. Every Second Counts: The Race to Transplant the First Human Heart. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2006. Pri nt. 4. Botta, D. M., Jr. “Heart Transplantation Technique.” http://emedicine. medscape.com/article/429816-technique#c2 (2014).
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