[Heart transplantation 1981. A status determination].

This is a report based on the experience of Stanford University in Palo Alto/California (Chief: N. Shumway). The operation is above all indicated in patients suffering from endstage cardiomyopathy respectively coronary heart disease. Stage IV valve patients (according to N. Y. H. A.) represent no candidates at the present time. Main contraindications are age over 50 years, pulmonary hypertension (above 8--10 resistance units), florid infections and diabetes mellitus. Perfect postoperative care is the key for success at Stanford; only that way long-term results compare favourably to those of kidney transplants: for the patient group after 1973 long-term survival rate is 55 percent.