Is It Possible For Kids To Lead A Normal Life After A Heart Transplant?

Following a transplant, while a child can resume school and actively take part in sports, there are a few challenges that need to be managed.

Heart transplant in children: The heart is one of the most vital organs that needs a lot of attention and care. In order to power the entire body, it pumps blood and oxygen to all the organs. Sometimes, however, the heart may cease to function in a healthy manner because of deteriorating cardiovascular health in certain individuals, who may need a heart transplant to stay alive. Not just adults, even children may require a heart transplant, especially if they have an unhealthy heart musculature, says Dr Swati Garekar, senior consultant-paediatric cardiology, Fortis Hospital Mulund. According to the doctor, medications can help up to a point. But, after that, the best available option is heart transplant. "A few babies are born with very complex heart disease, where heart transplant offers a better quality and length of life compared to open heart surgery," she states.

Is It Possible To Lead A Normal Life After A Heart Transplant

Dr Garekar says it is indeed possible to go back to a regular routine after a heart transplant. "This includes resuming school, rejoining social activities and carrying on with life. Transplant patients can actively take part in sports, too. There, however, are challenges that need to be managed with the help of proper experts."

What Are These Challenges?

The following things have to be kept in mind:

• According to the doctor, the child who has undergone a heart transplant has to follow a strict schedule of anti-rejection medicines to ensure the transplant is not rejected by the body.
• As such, even a single dose cannot be missed. The dosing also has to be 'just right'. Side effects of these medicines include kidney failure, diarrhea, low white blood cell count and elevated cholesterol levels, the doctor warns.
• In the first few months after the transplant, the patient is on 'very high doses' of anti-rejection medicines. They must not catch infections.
• Periodically, 'heart biopsies' have to be done. Acute rejection of the heart by the body may occur despite all precautions, and this is a life-threatening issue, which is most likely to happen in the first 1-2 years after transplant, says Dr Garekar.

What Happens When There Is A Rejection Of The Heart?

"Slow, on-going chronic rejection of the heart can lead to inflammation and serious damage to the tissues and blood vessels. It can lead to deposits in the coronary arteries causing them to narrow, which can eventually cause heart attacks," the doctor warns, adding that this condition can be detected by 'coronary angiography', a diagnostic technique to visualise the insides of an artery.

In Conclusion

Parents and children need to be mindful of the following:

1. The transplant recipient needs daily medications throughout their life.
2. Caregivers have to ensure supply with back-up stocks available as even a single dose cannot be missed.
3. All appointments with the doctors need to be made.
4. Caregivers have to be vaccinated against all common illnesses. They have to stay away from the patient if they are sick.
5. The home and the immediate surroundings have to be kept clean from dust and fungus (wet walls in monsoon, etc.).
6. A child who receives a transplant will have to abide by these rules well into their adulthood.