What are the Risks of human heart transplants?

Rejection: The recipient's immune system may reject the transplanted heart, which can lead to organ failure and death. To prevent rejection, recipients must take lifelong immunosuppressive drugs, which can have serious side effects.

Infection: Recipients of heart transplants are more susceptible to infections due to the immunosuppressive drugs they must take. These infections can range from mild to life-threatening.

Coronary artery disease: Recipients of heart transplants have a higher risk of developing coronary artery disease, which can lead to heart failure. This risk is thought to be due to the damage that occurs to the heart during the transplant surgery.

Other complications: Other complications of heart transplantation can include bleeding, blood clots, kidney failure, and diabetes.

The risks of heart transplantation should be carefully considered before undergoing the procedure. However, for many people, heart transplantation is the only option for survival.

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