A transplanted heart functions differently from the old one. The new heart also responds more slowly to exercise and doesn't increase its rate as quickly as before. A patient's prognosis depends on many factors, including age, general health, and response to the transplant. Recent figures show that 73 percent of heart transplant patients live at least 3 years after surgery. Nearly 85 percent of patients return to work or other activities they like.
Many patients enjoy swimming, cycling, running, or other sports.
Fifty percent live at least 3 years. The most common causes of death following a transplant are infection or rejection of the heart. This is called angina and is an early warning sign of a blocked heart artery. However, transplant patients may have no early pain symptoms of a blockage building up because they have no sensations in their new hearts. Thirty to fifty percent of patients who receive a heart-lung transplant develop bronchiolitis obliterans, in which there are obstructive changes in the airways of the lungs.