- Emergency
- Coronary heart disease.
- Valvular heart disease.
- Diseases of the thoracic vessels.
- Arrhythmias.
- Transplantation.
- Heart transplant
- Indications.
- Organ donation.
- Guidelines for organ mediation.
- Inclusion on the waiting list.
- Examinations before inclusion on the waiting list.
- Regular check-ups prior to transplantation.
- The heart transplant call.
- The transplantation.
- The first days after the transplant.
- Postoperative immunosuppression.
- Other medications.
- Medication times.
- Postoperative complications and rejection reactions.
- Complications due to infections.
- Check-ups.
- How do I do things correctly.
- Lung transplantation.
- Combined transplantation.
- Heart transplant
Postoperative complications and rejection reactions
Any patient who undergoes a major surgical operation can experience postoperative complications. Transplant patients have the additional risk of immunosuppression, which weakens their immune system and therefore their ability to fight infections. In fact, the majority of heart transplant patients also experience minor complications in the first weeks after the transplant. However, these are no reason for serious worry as they can usually be readily controlled by experienced transplant doctors.
In the case of a rejection reaction, it is extremely important to know the warning signals and immediately contact the transplant doctors if they occur. Possible signs of a rejection reaction are: a feeling of weakness, rapid fatigability, raised temperature over 37.5° C for several hours, weight gain within a short period (1-2 days), shortness of breath with slight exertion, water retention in the tissues or cardiac arrhythmias.
If an acute rejection reaction is diagnosed clinically or histologically, additional drug treatment is started. A rejection reaction can be treated very well and does not represent a major risk for the patient. Early recognition is important. The transplant doctor should therefore be informed promptly if symptoms of rejection occur.