1. What is the rate of heart transplant success?
2.Why would a person need a heart transplant ?

1.What is the rate of heart transplant success?

The success of heart transplantation obviously varies according to risk factors prior to transplantation. In general the success rate of the surgery is close to 95% in most centers on the average. Traditional risk factors include age over 60, patients transplanted who are on a ventilator, patients with an elevated panel reactive antibody level (antibodies in the blood to foreign antigens seen rarely), patients who have had a previous heart transplant, and patients who have high pressures in the pulmonary (lung) blood vessels. At this time, however, a standard transplant has a 95% or higher chance of being initially successful, and if you survive the initial 30 days the chances are close to 90% that you will be alive at the end of the first year.

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2.Why would a person need a heart transplant ?

The most common reason for a heart transplant is cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle causing it to pump poorly. Cardiomyopathy can be caused by many things, including coronary artery disease (blocked arteries), viral infections, alcohol abuse, high blood pressure and pregnancy. The heart muscle can also be damaged for unknown reasons, which is called idiopathic cardiomyopathy.

Patients referred for heart transplantation usually have exhausted all other medical and/or surgical options and may be quite disabled. The purpose of heart transplant surgery is not only to prolong a patient's life, but to improve their quality of life. Most patients are able to return to a normal, active life within three to six months after their transplant surgery.

Link : http://www.transplantliving.org/Community/glossary.aspx

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