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Preparing for the Transplant | Heart

Pretransplant tests, in addition to giving a clear picture of your overall health, help identify potential problems before they occur. They also help determine whether transplantation is your best option. This increases the likelihood of success.

The following tests help evaluate the health status of your liver and related structures:

• Hemodynamic monitoring — Sonar-type echos may be used to detect high blood pressure in your heart and lungs or a catheter may be placed in the heart for periods of six to 12 hours.
• Echocardiogram — Sonar-type echos can show abnormalities in the heart and blood flow in the heart.
• Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) — Asseses the electrical activity within your heart
• Radionuclide scans (resting and/or stress) — Assesses blood flow to the heart muscle. Areas of poor blood flow to the heart muscle do not 'take up' the radionuclide material very well.
• Coronary angiography — A procedure that uses a special dye (contrast material) and x-rays to see how blood flows through your heart
• Heart biopsy — Evaluates a little piece of tissue from you heart
• Other studies of the electrical conduction in the heart.

General pretransplant medical tests include:

Physical exam Chest x-ray Complete medical and surgical history Blood tests – These tests include blood count, blood and tissue type, blood chemistries, and immune system function. Your blood will also be checked for certain infectious diseases Blood typing – Every person is a blood type A, B, AB or O. Your blood will be checked to determine if it is compatible with the recipient Pulmonary function test — These tests show how well you lungs are working Upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) series – These evaluations can detect abnormalities of your esophagus, stomach, and intestine Tissue typing – Your white blood cells will be tested for special "markers" that distinguish "tissue type" needed to match the transplanted organ

Panel Reactive Antibody (PRA) — This is one way of measuring the activity of your immune system (higher PRA means your are making more antibodies) Viral testing — Blood tests can reveal if you have been exposed to hepatitis, Epstein-Barr (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Tests for osteoporosis — Screening for osteoporosis may be ordered by DEXA scan or other means Mammogram — Breast x-rays to look for signs of breast cancer in women Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostate exams — To screen for prostate cancer in men Dental Examinations Other tests — Your doctor may order other tests as well