Honoring 50 Years of Clinical Heart Transplantation in Circulation: In-Depth State-of-the-Art Review

Abstract

Heart transplantation has become a standard therapy option for advanced heart failure. The translation of heart transplantation from innovative experiments to long-term clinical success has married prescient insights with discipline and organization in the domains of surgical techniques, organ preservation, immunosuppression, organ donation and transplantation logistics, infection control, and long-term graft surveillance. This review explores the key milestones of the past 50 years of heart transplantation and discusses current challenges and promising innovations on the clinical horizon.

Keywords: heart transplantation; immunosuppression; survival.