Cardiac Transplantation: A Manual for Health Care Professionals

Over the past ten years, cardiac transplantation has evolved from an exper­ imental procedure performed in a handful of university centers to a viable therapeutic modality now performed in more than 150 centers worldwide. The complexity of the procedure, the changing immunosuppressive re­ gimes, and the follow-up care have necessitated a multidisciplinary ap­ proach involving a variety of medical, nursing, and social sciences special­ ties and subspecialties. In addition, health care trainees and referring physicians are increasingly becoming involved in the care of the cardiac transplant recipient. This book does not attempt to be a comprehensive treatise on cardiac transplantation; rather, we hope that it will serve as a manual and guideline for all health professionals involved in cardiac trans­ plantation.