Heart transplants: Identity disruption, bodily integrity and interconnectedness

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Transplantation Surgery
• Phenomenology

Background:

• 30% of heart transplant recipients report emotional issues post-transplant.
• These issues are not linked to medications or physiological changes.
• Cardiac transplantation raises questions about self-identity and incorporating a new organ.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how heart transplant recipients integrate a transplanted heart into their sense of self.
• To understand the impact of corporeal changes on identity post-transplant.
• To provide a framework for accessing the complex aspects of living with a transplanted heart.

Main Methods:

• Utilized visual methodology with 25 videographically recorded semi-structured interviews.
• Employed Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology for theoretical underpinning.
• Conducted simultaneous iterative analysis of visual and verbal data.

Main Results:

• A common theme was a disruption to participants' identity and bodily integrity.
• Participants reported interconnectedness with the donor, even with a perceived 'intruder' organ.
• Recipients vividly described imagining the anonymous donor, questioning their own identity.

Conclusions:

• The study offers a nuanced understanding of embodied experiences of self and identity in heart transplant recipients.
• Findings can inform transplant professionals in developing supportive interventions and improving informed consent.
• Insights can help recipients optimally incorporate the graft, easing distress and improving recovery.