Current state of heart transplantation.

Heart transplantation has now been accepted as a proven therapy for terminal heart disease by the medical profession and the Government, and in the USA by insurance companies. Major improvements have been achieved in donor and recipient selection and management, organ preservation, immunosuppressive techniques, and the prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of infectious complications. The successful introduction of cyclosporin A to clinical heart transplantation in December 1980 at Stanford University heralded a dramatic expansion in the application of heart transplantation, resulting from improved patient survival, a reduction in serious morbidity, a shorter hospital stay and reduced cost.