Heart Transplant
What to expect before, during, and after a heart transplant
We tailor your care to meet your needs. A typical transplant process includes:
Evaluation and approval
The process of getting a heart transplant starts with a comprehensive evaluation. We know you may be traveling to Iowa City for your care, so we do the entire evaluation in a few days. It includes:
- Tests and exams to evaluate your health, paying special attention to how your heart, lungs, and kidneys are working
- Consultations with specialists who will have a role in your care, including a transplant surgeon, cardiologist, and many others
- An educational session with a transplant nurse coordinator who will explain the transplant process in detail, with plenty of time to ask questions
- Conversations with a social worker about your family, support systems, substance use, and more
Within one to two weeks of your evaluation, all the team members you saw will meet to determine whether you could benefit from a transplant. They’ll also discuss what other tests or treatments you may need.
Waiting for a transplant
If you’re approved for a heart transplant, you’ll be placed on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waiting list.
Wait times vary widely and can be several months or years long. You’ll be matched with a donor based on your blood and tissue types, heart size, and time spent waiting.
While you wait, you may need other treatments to help keep your heart working. UI Health Care is the only health system in Iowa to offer the full range of these treatments:
- Ventricular assist devices (VADs), which help pump blood when your heart’s ventricles (lower chambers) aren’t working properly
- Total artificial heart (TAH), a surgically implanted device that takes over for both of your heart’s ventricles
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), during which your blood is pumped into a machine, mixed with oxygen, and pumped back into your body
Transplant surgery
When it’s time for your transplant, the most experienced heart surgeons in Iowa will perform your procedure. Here’s what you can expect:
- You’ll get a call from one of our transplant coordinators when a heart becomes available. You’ll need to get to UI Hospitals & Clinics within four to five hours.
- The procedure will take eight to ten hours.
- You’ll stay in the hospital for 10 to 20 days so that you can recover and make sure your new heart is working well.
- Immediately after your transplant, you’ll start taking medications to make sure your immune system doesn’t attack your new heart. These are called antirejection medications and you’ll take them for the rest of your life.
Follow-up care
You’ll have your first follow-up appointment with our team a week after you go home from the hospital. For six months, we’ll see you once a month. Then, we’ll see you quarterly, and after one to two years we’ll see you twice a year. We’ll continue to work with you and your primary care provider to help you:
- Manage your medications and any side effects you experience
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Lower your risk of cancer, which can be higher for transplant recipients
- Prevent heart disease and high blood pressure
Who can benefit from heart transplant?
You may be a good candidate for heart transplant if you:
- Have been diagnosed with advanced heart failure
- Are not getting better with other treatments
- Are well enough to have transplant surgery
- Will be able to take immunosuppressant medications for the rest of your life to prevent your body from rejecting your new heart
Conditions that can cause heart failure
Advanced heart failure can be caused by a variety of heart conditions, including:
Alternatives to heart transplant
If you have advanced heart failure but aren’t a candidate for heart transplant, you may benefit from a ventricular assist device (VAD). In some people with heart failure, VADs greatly improve symptoms and quality of life.
VADs—mechanical pumps—are sometimes implanted temporarily to keep the heart working before a transplant. But they can also be used as a destination therapy, meaning they’re implanted permanently.
We have earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for the high quality of our destination therapy VAD program.
Support for heart transplants patients
We help you cope with the emotional and everyday stressors that can come with heart failure and heart transplant.
Lifelong education and support
From the beginning of the process until long after your transplant, there will be a lot to learn and remember. We provide educational materials, detailed instructions, and a record book to keep track of your vital signs and medications.
And if you ever have any questions, we’re only a phone call away. We’ll provide you with contact information so you can reach our team anytime, day or night. We’re always happy to discuss any of your questions or concerns.
Financial counseling and help with insurance
Our program includes financial coordinators who will help you work with your health insurance provider. Insurance benefits related to heart transplant can be complex, and we’re here to advise you.
Organ transplant support group
UI Health Care hosts a support group for organ transplant recipients and their loved ones. Meetings usually take place four times a year on Tuesday evenings at the Coralville Public Library in Iowa City.
Email [email protected] to request upcoming meeting dates
Staying in Iowa City
During your transplant and recovery, your loved ones may want to spend time in Iowa City to be with you. While they’re here, they’ll have plenty of dining, lodging, and shopping options within minutes of the hospital.
Our Care Team
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Nurse Coordinators
- Jessica Batcheller, MSN, RN, CCRN-K
- Sue Crimmins, RN, BSN
- Ellen Davis, BSN, RN
- Haley McLaughlin, BSN, RN
- Kelley McLaughlin, RN
- Alicia Rock-Cleppe, RN, BSN
VAD Coordinators
- Denicia Cole, RN, BSN
- Carol Johnson, RN, BSN
Financial Coordinators
- Taylor Casey
- David Dohrer
- Lauren Richlapp
Locations and Offices
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