Multiorgan transplantation is now possible because of improvements in immunosuppression and surgical techniques. Combined liver-heart transplantation (CLHT) is a new option with initial 1-year data reporting 80% 1-year survival rates. Organs transplanted with the liver appear to have less allograft rejection. Within the United States, fifteen CLHTs have been performed. Three CLHTs have been performed at the University of Chicago and are discussed in this article. Guidelines for evaluation and listing criteria for CLHT recipients have not been established in the medical community. Postoperative care of this patient group is demanding and requires a thorough understanding of multiorgan pathophysiology, management of high-incidence acute renal dysfunction, light intravascular volume regulation, and an experienced multidisciplinary approach to care.
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1 May 1999
Transplantation|
May 01 1999
Indications, Evaluations, and Postoperative Care of the Combined Liver-Heart Transplant Recipient
Janice Stasiuk Tazbir, RN, MS, CCRN;
*From Purdue University Calumet, Illinois.
Reprint requests to Janice Stasiuk Tazbir, RN, MS, CCRN, Visiting Assistant Professor of Nursing, Purdue University Calumet, 2200 l69th Street, Hammond, IN 46323.
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David C. Cronin, II, MD, PhD
David C. Cronin, II, MD, PhD
†From the University of Chicago, Illinois.
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AACN Adv Crit Care (1999) 10 (2): 240–252.
Citation
Janice Stasiuk Tazbir, David C. Cronin; Indications, Evaluations, and Postoperative Care of the Combined Liver-Heart Transplant Recipient. AACN Adv Crit Care 1 May 1999; 10 (2): 240–252. doi:
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