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Heart Transplant Center - Corpus Christi, TX

Corpus Christi Cardiothoracic Surgeon Doctors for Heart Transplant

Type of Physician: Cardiothoracic Surgeon

What is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon?

A certification by the Board of Thoracic Surgery; practitioners are skilled in patient care before, during and after surgery, and the critical care of patients with pathologic conditions within the chest. The management of the airway and injuries of the chest is within the scope of the specialty.

Specialty: Cardiothoracic Surgery

Common Name: Chest Surgeon

Cardiothoracic Surgeon Doctors in Corpus Christi *

Javier Alonso MD
Javier Alonso
613 Elizabeth St
STE 703
Corpus Christi, TX 78404
(361) 991-6611

Sergio Tavares MD
Sergio Tavares
601 Texan Trl
STE 205
Corpus Christi, TX 78404
(361) 884-7081

Corpus Christi, Texas

Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. It is the principal city of the three-county Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger Corpus Christi-Kingsville Combined Statistical Area. The translation from Latin of the city's name is Body of Christ, given to the settlement by the Spanish, in honor of the Blessed Sacrament (Eucharist). The city has been nicknamed The Sparkling City by the Sea, particularly in literature promoting tourism. The city is home to the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and is served by the Corpus Christi International Airport.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Christi,_Texas)

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Heart Transplant

Introduction to heart transplant

The idea of replacing a bad organ with a good one has been documented in ancient mythology. The first real organ transplants were probably skin grafts that may have been done in India as early as the second century B.C. The first heart transplant in any animal is credited to Vladimer Demikhov. Working in Moscow in 1946, Demikhov switched the hearts between two dogs. The dogs survived the surgery. The first heart transplant in human beings was done in South Africa in 1967 by Dr. Christiaan Barnard; the patient only lived 18 days. Most of the research that led to successful heart transplantation took place in the United States at Stanford University under the leadership of Dr. Norman Shumway. Once Stanford started reporting better results, other centers started doing heart transplants. However, successful transplantation of a human heart was not ready for widespread clinical application until medications were developed to prevent the recipient from "rejecting" the donor heart. This happened in 1983 when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a drug called cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral). Before the advent of cyclosporine, overall results of heart transplant were not very good.

What is a heart transplant?

Believe it or not, heart transplantation is a relatively simple operation for a cardiac surgeon. In fact, the procedure actually consists of three operations.

The first operation is harvesting the heart from the donor. The donor is usually an unfortunate person who has suffered irreversible brain injury, called "brain death". Very often these are patients who have had major trauma to the head, for example, in an automobile accident. The victim's organs, other than the brain, are working well with the help of medications and other "life support" that may include a respirator or other devices...

Recommended Reading Related to Heart Transplant

Shock (Medical) »

Shock facts

  • Shock is a life-threatening medical condition and is a medical emergency. If shock is suspected call 911 or get to an emergency department immediately.
  • The main symptom of shock is low blood pressure. Other symptoms include rapid, shallow breathing; cold, clammy skin; rapid, weak pulse; dizziness, fainting, or weakness.
  • There are several types of shock: septic shock caused by bacteria, anaphylactic shock caused by hypersensitivity or allergic reaction, cardiogenic shock from heart damage, hypovolemic shock from blood or fluid loss, and neurogenic shock from spinal cord trauma.
  • Treatment for shock depends on the cause. Tests will determine the cause and severity. Usually IV fluids are administered in addition to medications that raise blood pressure.
    • Septic shock is treated with antibiotics and fluids.
    • Anaphylactic shock is treated with diphenhydramine (Benad...

Emergency Contact for Corpus Christi

  • In case of Emergency, call 911
  • Police (918) 596-9222
  • Fire (918) 596-9444

Nearby Corpus Christi Hospitals *

CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi Memorial
2606 Hospital Blvd
Corpus Christi, TX 78405
(361)902-4000

Corpus Christi Specialty Hospital
1310 Third St
Corpus Christi, TX 78404
(361)888-4323

CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi Shoreline
600 Elizabeth St
Corpus Christi, TX 78404
(361)881-3000

Dubuis Hospital Corpus Christi
600 Elizabeth St
Corpus Christi, TX 78404
(361)881-3223

Corpus Christi Medical Center Doctor's Regional
3315 S Alameda St
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
(361)761-1000

Driscoll Children's Hospital
3533 S Alameda St
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
(361)694-5000

CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital South Corpus Christi
5950 Saratoga Blvd
Corpus Christi, TX 78414
(361)985-5000

Corpus Christi Medical Center Bay Area
7101 S Padre Island Dr
Corpus Christi, TX 78412
(361)761-1200

Corpus Christi Medical Center The Heart Hospital
7002 Williams Dr
Corpus Christi, TX 78412
(361)761-6800

Kindred Hospital Corpus Christi
6226 Saratoga Blvd
Corpus Christi, TX 78414
(361)986-1600

Padre Behavioral Hospital
6629 Wooldridge Rd
Corpus Christi, TX 78414
(361)986-9444

Corpus Christi Medical Center Northwest
13725 Northwest Blvd
Corpus Christi, TX 78410
(361)241-4243

North Bay Hospital
1711 W Wheeler Ave
Aransas Pass, TX 78336
(361)758-8585

CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Kleberg
1311 General Cavazos Blvd
Kingsville, TX 78363
(361)595-1661

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