How long would you be in surgery for a heart transplant?

Question

When you have a heart transplant, you have had chest surgeries before (to put in a defibulator) how long should you expect to be in the actual surgery?

Answer 1

I work in a Cardiothoracic ICU, and we admit patients after they comes out of heart and lung surgeries, including heart transplants.  Some of the patients might be on a BIVAD (bi-ventricular assist device), and will actually stay in our unit, waiting for a donor heart.  After the call comes in that the patient has a heart and the heart has arrived, the patient goes down for surgery.  The surgery can last anywhere from just a few hours (maybe 4) to much longer.  I once had a patient that was in surgery for 16 hours.

It depends on the patient, the surgeons, the hospital, and the quality of the heart that's been donated.

Answer 2

Like stated above, it varies from patient to patient, surgeon to surgeon etc.

I would expect to be in surgery for several hours at a minimum.

Answer 3

I think the average is 4 hours.

Answer 4

Actually it is completely dependent on the efficiency of the hospital, the surgeon and the surgical staff. In some cases, when the patient has no complication, it may only take a few hours. However, when you add complications and other issues the same case could last eight or more hours.

The issue isn't how long the case lasts. It's how well each step is performed from start to finish.

There is an old addage in surgery that goes like this.

"It will take all the time that is needed and not a minute longer."