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The heart is a muscle and a pump. It weighs about 2.5 ounces and contracts and relaxes regularly, supplying blood to the rest of the body through a vast network of arteries and veins.

The heart can remain viable for up to 4 hours outside the body.

-UNOS

Deoxygenated blood flows from the heart to the lungs, where oxygen is added. From there, the blood returns to the heart and is pumped throughout the body and then back to the heart, to begin the process all over again.

The first successful heart transplant was performed in 1968.

In 2002, 2,154 heart transplants were performed, down slightly from 2,194 in 2001, according to Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

As of April 2003, more than 3,700 people were on the national waiting list for a heart transplant, according to OPTN. Patients with congenital heart disease, coronary artery disease or valvular heart disease may need a heart transplant, according to OPTN.

photo Gina Comparini
Michael Dedini, right, had a heart and lung transplant eight years ago. He spoke at Bear Creek High School in Stockton, CA, in March during the Organ and Tissue Awareness Day that his daughter Beverly, left, organized for her senior project. His wife Joyce Dedini, center, teaches at the school and helped organize the event.

Survival rates for heart transplant patients are different for men and women.

From 1996 to 2001, OPTN reported that about 85.4 percent of men and 84.2 percent of women survived one year after transplant. About 78.3 percent of men and 76.3 percent of women survived for three years after transplant.

Some patients with severe congenital heart diseases are candidates for heart and lung transplants. Patients with elevated pressure in the lung arteries may also require this rare procedure, according to Jonathan Zaroff, M.D., a surgeon at University of California San Francisco. As of April 2003, 204 people were on the national waiting list for a heart and lung transplant, according to OPTN data. Heart and lung transplant survival rates are higher in women than in men.

From 1996 to 2001, OPTN reported that 68.1 percent of women and 62.5 percent of men lived for one year after transplant. About 47 percent of women and 38.6 percent of men survived for three years after transplant.