Patient evaluation for cardiac transplantation.

The aim for cardiac transplantation is to improve the quality of life and the survival in patients with end-stage heart failure. Given the scarcity of donor organ availability, the expense of the transplantation process and follow-up care, as well as the tremendous emotional burden the process places on a patient and his/her family, it is essential to carefully screen potential candidates for their symptomatic, functional, hemodynamic, and psychosocial eligibility, and to rule out coexisting hemodynamic or comorbid conditions that would jeopardize successful transplantation and immunosuppression. Comprehensive screening of potential transplant candidates, which is best accomplished by a multidisciplinary team approach working closely with patients and their families, is essential to insure that maximum benefit is derived from this scarce and valuable resource.