For three months after leaving the Medical Center, you must return for regular checkups to look out for signs of rejection or other complications.

Although most transplants are successful, some do not turn out as hoped. In some cases, the donated heart simply does not work. This is called graft failure, and becomes obvious in the operating room or shortly after surgery. Another major cause of failure is tissue rejection. The body's immune system knows that the donated heart is foreign tissue and tries to destroy it, as if it were a virus or some other disease-causing agent. There is no other way to check for signs of rejection, except with routine biopsy of heart tissue.

Transplant recipients have an increased risk of infection, especially during the first three months after transplantation because of the medicines needed to prevent rejection. These medicines, called immunosuppressants, make it harder for the body to fight off disease. Sometimes these medicines can let an infection turn into a serious medical problem long after surgery.

With the proper care and by following the advice of your doctor, patients who are fortunate enough to receive a donor heart can look forward to a full and productive life.

The one-year survival rate after heart transplantation now ranges from 85 to 90%. The average survival after heart transplantation now is nearly 10 years, and the longest survivor has lived 22 years. This compares with an expected survival of one year or less in most patients on the waiting list who have not received a heart transplant.