Woman is pictured holding her own heart after successful transplant :) Worldwide, about 3,500 heart transplants were performed annually, but about 800,000 people have a Class IV heart defect indicating a new organ. These numbers show the lack of donors impressively.The most common procedure is to take a working heart from a recently deceased organ donor (cadaveric allograft) and implant it into the patient. The patient's own heart is either removed (orthotopic procedure) or, less commonly, left in place to support the donor heart (heterotopic procedure). Post-operation survival periods averaged 15 years. Heart transplantation is not considered to be a cure for heart disease, but a life-saving treatment intended to improve the quality of life for recipients.
