Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
Cardiac monitoring is a necessary part of heart-lung transplantation. Under general cardiac anesthesia, an incision is made in the patient's chest to access the heart and lungs. Anticoagulation (anti-clotting) medications are provided, and cardiopulmonary...
bypass to a heart-lung machine is instituted. Blood flow is discontinued through the heart by application of a clamp across the aorta. The surgeon removes the diseased organs: in the heart, the native right and left atriums are left intact, along with the native aorta beyond the coronary arteries. This provides large suture lines that allow decreased surgical time and result in fewer bleeding complications.
The donor heart is dissected to match the remaining native heart and aorta. The sutures are made to join the structures. Once completed, the cardiac chambers are deaired as the organs fill with the patient's blood that is diverted away from the heart and lung machine. Mechanical ventilation of the donor lungs helps to purge any remaining air from the cardiac and pulmonary structures and inflate the lung tissue.
Advertisement
The animated video, narrated by a physician, describes the two main types of stroke: ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Ischemic strokes are further subdivided into thrombotic strokes and embolic strokes while hemorrhagic strokes are classified into subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hemorrhage. The location of the stroke in the brain directly influences the kind and degree of neurological deficit, which is discussed.
Chest is opened to expose the diseased heart and lung to be removed (A). Heart and lung function is taken over by a heart-lung machine. Major blood vessels are severed, and the heart is removed (B). Bronchus and blood vessels leading to the lung are severed, and the lung is removed (C). Donor heart and lung are placed in the patient's the chest cavity (D). They are sutured to their appropriate connections, and the heart is restarted before the patient is taken off the heart-lung machine (E). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)
Search
Other Information
A heart-lung transplant is a procedure carried out to replace both heart and lungs in a single operation. Due to a shortage of suitable donors, it is a rare procedure; only about a hundred such transplants are performed each year in the USA.
Find a Qualified Specialist
Looking for a specialist?
Please enter your zip code.