CARDIAC TRANSPLANTATION - A REVIEW

Cardiac transplantation is now an accepted treatment for end-stage car diac disease. To ameliorate the deconditioning that results from the p reoperative disease state and to counteract or lessen the severity of the sequelae of postoperative immunosuppression, physical therapists a re active participants in the rehabilitation of cardiac transplant rec ipients. This involvement requires a level of knowledge and understand ing of tile surgical procedures, pharmacology, and postoperative manag ement with which the therapist may have, heretofore, been unexposed. T his article reviews the development of cardiac transplantation and pre sents an overview of the current state of the art, with emphasis on pr eoperative considerations, surgical and immediate postoperative care, and the effects of complications on selected exercise-related response s.