A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Why can't we use a primate's heart for a heart transplant?

Best Answers

Transplanting organs from one species to another is known as xenotransplantation. There have been a few instances of cardiac xenotransplantation from chimps and baboons to humans. read more

Transplant rejection is even a problem for transplants among the same species; between species, the genetic dissimilarity is even greater. The risk can be decreased using immunosuppressant drugs, but that does increase the risk of infection. Compatibility of primates. read more

A heart transplant replaces the patient's heart with a donor heart. Doctors remove the patient's heart by transecting the aorta, the main pulmonary artery and the superior and inferior vena cavae, and dividing the left atrium, leaving the back wall of the left atrium with the pulmonary vein openings in place. read more

Encyclopedia Research

Image Answers

The artificially prepared heart
Source: slideshare.net