Patient's Guide to Heart Transplant Surgery

During Surgery: Notification and Preparing for Surgery

Notification for Surgery

When we find a suitable donor for you, one of the members of the transplant team will notify you by telephone. It is important that you always leave a number where you can be reached if you are away from home. We would not like to have missed getting in touch with you if you were out of touch.

As a rule of thumb, we will always call your home first. We recommend you purchase a pager as a means of contacting you, otherwise, we will rely on your home, work, relative, or cell phone number as a means of contacting you when we get an offer for you.

Preparing for Surgery

Right before surgery, you will have blood drawn so that we have up-to-date information about the key components of your blood. You will also be asked to give us a urine specimen. In order to cut down on the possibility of infection, you will have your chest thoroughly washed with a special cleansing solution, and your chest may be shaved. Finally, you will receive medications that will help to relax you and begin to make you feel sleepy.

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