Heart transplantation is still the gold standard in the treatment of heart failure. It represents the very top of medicine in organizational, logistical, technical, and medical terms. Also, it is a huge civilizational progress that enables the survival of those patients who have no alternative. It requires careful monitoring for recognition and prevention of complications in the early and late stages after transplantation. Despite high level of development of modern medicine and science, significant probability of complications in the early and late postoperative period still exists. The most common early complications include dysfunction of the donor heart, bleeding, cardiac arrhythmias, acute organ rejection and opportunistic infections, while accelerated atherosclerosis of blood vessels, arterial hypertension, kidney failure, lymphoproliferative diseases and skin cancers occur in the late phase (1). In addition to the complications, infections are one of the most important causes of pain after heart transplantation and are responsible for 30% of deaths during the first year after transplantation (2). There is no successful method of definitive treatment and prevention of complications, therefore, special attention after transplantation should be paid to the modification of risk factors, individualized nursing care, education, regular controls and support from the family and the environment. Heart transplantation is a therapy that improves and saves life; however, it is associated with significant risk of complications. Healthcare professionals must work closely with patients and their families to prevent, identify, and treat those complications. This form of cooperation is crucial in achieving the goal of heart transplantation, which is to prolong survival with a good quality of life for such patients.
Copyright: 2022, Croatian Cardiac Society
Date received: 04 November 2022
Date accepted: 10 November 2022
Publication date (print and electronic): November 2022
Volume: 17
Issue: 9-10
Page: 311
Publisher ID: CC 2022 17_9-10_311
DOI: 10.15836/ccar2022.311