20,000 people suffer from acute heart failure every year. Without a heart transplant, the mortality rate is 100%! Doctors reveal "1 measure" to extend the golden period of treatment
Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Taiwan! 20,000 heart failure patients need “heart transplant”
According to the latest statistics from the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, heart disease ranks second among the top ten causes of death in Taiwan in 2021. Nearly 10,000 people die from heart failure every year. In Taiwan, 360,000 people are diagnosed with heart failure every year, of which nearly 2 Ten thousand people will further develop end-stage heart failure, further requiring heart transplantation or left ventricular assist device treatment.
Dr. Wang Zhihong, president of the Tri-Service General Hospital, said that many patients with acute heart failure have successfully used ventricular assist devices to wait for transplantation. For example, a patient surnamed Lin suffered an acute myocarditis attack in 2021 and was transferred to the third hospital for temporary ventricular assist after emergency treatment. waiting for transplantation. After successfully receiving a heart transplant, he has been discharged from the hospital and is in stable condition so far.
Dr. Wang Zhihong also shared some special cases, such as a patient who suffered cardiogenic shock while receiving a heart transplant. After being fitted with a short-acting ventricular assist device, he successfully waited for a heart transplant again or after receiving short-acting and long-acting ventricular assist devices. Another successful case of waiting for a heart transplant.
The average waiting time for a heart transplant is one year at most. “This technology” buys patients more time
President Wang Zhihong said that the average waiting time for a heart transplant in Taiwan is 1-1.5 years. According to statistics from the Organ Donation and Transplant Registration Center, there are about 200 people waiting for a heart transplant per year. Patients with acute cardiogenic shock who do not receive With heart transplantation or further treatment, the mortality rate is nearly 100%.
The short-acting ventricular assist device (Temporary VAD) can assist patients with acute heart failure to bridge to transplant (Bridge to transplant) or bridge to recovery (Bridge to recovery), and the long-acting ventricular assist device (Durable VAD) can be used as an end-stage cardiac support device. Selection of Destination Therapy (DT). Short-acting ventricular assist devices are FDA-approved, which can buy patients and doctors more effective time as a bridge to heart transplantation or evaluate other treatment strategies.
Cai Yiting, director of the Department of Surgery at the Tri-Service General Hospital, also said that based on the current experience in using short-acting ventricular assist devices, for patients with acute heart failure, the cardiovascular surgery medical team has rich experience in surgery and care, and can respond quickly to provide active treatment to patients. In the future, we will also provide medical personnel from various countries in the Asia-Pacific region with further training and learning of short-acting ventricular assist device treatment and related care technologies through industry-university cooperation projects.
5 ethnic groups may not be suitable for heart transplantation! Are there any complications that we need to be careful about after surgery?
Although current short-acting or long-acting ventricular assist devices can indeed bring good news to patients with heart failure, not all patients with heart failure are suitable for heart transplant surgery. According to the American medical media “Mayo Clinic”, if the patient has the following conditions, heart transplantation may not be suitable as a life-extending measure, and a full discussion with the doctor is required before deciding whether to perform surgery:
The elderly or those who are too old. Advanced age can affect your ability to recover after a transplant.
Presence of various conditions that may shorten life, such as severe kidney disease, liver disease, or lung disease.
Those with active or immediate infection in various organs before surgery.
Those who have recently or have had a history of cancer.
Those who are unwilling or unable to make lifestyle changes to maintain heart health, such as giving up drinking or smoking.
In addition, “Mayo Clinic” also emphasized that even if the heart transplant is successful, patients may still need to adjust their diet and exercise more to avoid complications, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. People who have smoked or drank in the past should also start trying to quit smoking and avoid excessive drinking. The diet should be based on a “Mediterranean” diet such as lean meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, which can ensure that the body maintains a certain level of health after surgery.
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