Heart Transplantation after 16 Years

Abstract

Six years ago, one of us (W.G.A.) commented in the Journal on the current status of cardiac transplantation.¹ The editorial concluded that the procedure, under certain special conditions, could be considered a rational and socially acceptable therapy for a limited number of patients with irreversible cardiac failure. The extension of transplantation to patients with acute cardiac disease had just been described.² Intraaortic balloon-pump resuscitation of patients presenting with heart failure had led to situations in which the acute condition was stabilized but weaning from the assistance device could not be accomplished because of the advanced stage of disease. With the . . .