Cardiac transplants. Heart and heart-lung transplantation

OR nurses play an important role in organ procurement. They are responsible for gathering the necessary equipment, which includes cardioplegia supplies, normal saline, a sterile container for transplantation of the heart, a sterile retractor, vascular clamps, and dissection instruments. Orthotopic heart transplantation involves excision of the recipient heart with placement of the donor heart in a normal anatomic position. Heterotopic transplant, which consists of placing the donor heart in the right side of the chest parallel to the native heart, is rarely used. In heart-lung transplantation procedures, attention is given to the removal of the heart and each lung separately to prevent injury to the vagus, phrenic, and laryngeal nerves.