Lipp Vis Nursing ChaptLWBK1630_C02_p013-068

58  Chapter 2 • Cardiovascular Care Intravascular Stents

An intravascular stent may be used to hold the walls of a vessel open. Some stents are coated with a drug that is slowly released to inhibit further aggregation of fibrin or clots.

S T E N T D E L I V E R E D S T E N T E X P A N D E D S T E N T I N P L A C E

Heart Transplantation With heart transplantation, a patient’s failing heart is replaced with a donor heart. Used to treat end- stage cardiac disease in patients who have poor quality of life and are not

expected to survive for more than 6 to 12 months, heart transplantation does not provide a cure. Patients who receive donor hearts must be treated for rejection with

monoclonal antibodies and potent immunosuppressants that can increase the risk of life-threatening infection.

Heart Transplantation Surgery

The illustrations below outline the process of removing the donor heart and transplanting it into the recipient. THE DONOR’S HEART The donor’s heart is removed after the surgeon cuts along these dissection lines. THE RECIPIENT’S HEART Before it can be removed, the recipient’s heart is resected along these lines. THE TRANSPLANTED HEART The transplanted heart is sutured in place within the recipient.

ANT E R I OR V I EW