Artificial heart transplantation in Türkiye
Implantation of a total artificial heart improved the survival rate after transplantation. This device prevents death in critically ill patients with irreversible biventricular failure who are candidates for heart transplantation.
For severe forms of heart failure, leading to irreversible biventricular failure, heart transplantation has emerged as the only effective treatment providing longevity and quality of life, with one- and five-year survival rates of 94 percent and 78 percent. , respectively . Unfortunately, as the demand for donor hearts has doubled in recent years, and the supply of donor organs has declined, the waiting time before transplantation among potential human heart transplant recipients has increased to more than one year.
How is artificial heart transplantation done in Türkiye?
The artificial heart is a technological breakthrough and gives hope to patients who are waiting for a human heart, since the supply is limited.
Doctors resort to artificial heart transplantation because there is no matching human heart available in the organ bank, or the possibility of human heart transplantation is at risk of failure due to the patient’s health status.
In the process of implanting an artificial heart, the medical team removes most of the patient’s heart and connects the artificial heart to the remains of the atria, aorta, and pulmonary arteries.
Unlike the human heart, the artificial heart first delivers blood systemically and then pumps the blood to the lungs for oxygenation. .
How does an artificial heart work?
The artificial heart works just like the human heart, consisting of two ventricles and four valves that pump blood around the body.
It is made of a special biocompatible plastic, which offers a high degree of stress resistance and long-term durability.
It does not need to adjust
The artificial heart is a fixed-rate device, which means that after you set your heart rate, your beats per minute will stay the same, even as your activity level changes.
The typical setting is around 125 bpm. When exercising, no adjustments to the device are required. Your body will automatically return more blood to the heart, which will then pump this increased amount of blood back into your body
The artificial heart comes in two sizes: 70CC will fit most men and some women. It is able to generate a blood flow of up to 9.5 liters per minute depending on the patient.
The 50CC is a smaller size to fit most women and some teens. It can generate blood flow up to 7.5 liters per minute depending on the patient. By comparison, the average human heart at rest pumps an average of 5 liters of blood.
Artificial heart transplantation in Türkiye
Similar to a human heart transplant, an artificial heart transplant is complex. Living with an artificial heart also requires significant planning and preparation. Fortunately, our doctors, surgeons, and medical teams have the expertise to care for patients who need such a device.
To transplant an artificial heart in Türkiye, you need to stay in the hospital for two weeks under the care of doctors, but before the heart transplant, you have to prepare for a series of examinations and prepare you for the operation, and this period lasts for a week. In the meantime, we will order the heart from the manufacturer based on the recommendations of the medical team.
Türkiye is one of the few countries in the world where this complex process takes place. More than 200 artificial heart transplants have been performed in Türkiye, all of which have been successful.
To find out your chances of undergoing the operation, please contact the doctors of REHABTÜRK HEALTHCARE PROVIDER NETWORK.
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