Heart Transplant Center - Pittsfield, MA
Pittsfield Cardiothoracic Surgeon Doctors for Heart TransplantType 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 Pittsfield * Holyoke Specialty Surgeons  Baystate Thoracic Surgery  Cardio Thoracic & Vascular Surgery Inc  Cardiac Surgical Associates  Gregory J Gallivan MD  Thoracic Surgery Clinic  Athol Memorial Hospital Thoracic Surgery Dept Pittsfield, MassachusettsUpcoming Local Events2012-06-03
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Heart TransplantRead the Heart Transplant article » Introduction to heart transplantThe 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 TransplantShock facts
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Nearby Pittsfield Hospitals *Berkshire Medical Center BMC Hillcrest Campus Austen Riggs Center Fairview Hospital North Adams Regional Hospital Samaritan Hospital Southwestern Vermont Medical Center  Albany Memorial Hospital  St Mary's Hospital Troy  Northampton VA Medical Center  Stratton VA Medical Center at Albany  Albany Medical Center  Albany Medical Center South Clinical Campus  Capital District Psychiatric Center  Columbia Memorial Hospital  St Peter's Hospital  Cooley Dickinson Hospital  Noble Hospital Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
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Congestive Heart Failure
- Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition in which the heart's function as a pump is inadequate to meet the body's needs. A poor blood supply resulting from congestive heart failure may cause the body's organ systems to fail, leading to a weakened heart muscle and fluid accumulation in the lungs and body tissue. There are many diseases that can impair pumping efficiency and symptoms of congestive heart failure including fatigue, diminished exercise capacity, shortness of breath, and swelling. Treatments include lifestyle modifications, medications, heart transplant, and therapy.
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Heart Failure
- Heart failure is caused by many conditions including coronary artery disease, heart attack, cardiomyopathy, and conditions that overwork the heart. Symptoms of heart failure include congested lungs, fluid and water retention, dizziness, fatigue and weakness, and rapid or irregular heartbeats.
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Cardiomyopathy (Dilated)
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart's ability to pump blood is decreased because the heart's main pumping chamber is enlarged and weakened. Symptoms of dilated cardiomyopathy include chest pain, heart failure, swelling of the lower extremities, fatigue, weight gain, fainting, palpitations, dizziness and blood clots.
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How the Heart Works
- The heart is a very important organ in the body. It is responsible for continuously pumping oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout your body to sustain life. It is a fist-sized muscle that beats (expands and contracts) 100,000 times per day, pumping a total of five or six quarts of blood each minute, or about 2,000 gallons per day.
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Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)
- Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infection is the most common type of infection acquired by patients while hospitalized. Patients at risk for VRE are those who are already ill, and hospitalized, including individuals with diabetes, elderly, ICU patients, kidney failure patients, or patients requiring catheters. Enterococci can survive for months in the digestive tract and female genital tract. Other risk factors for acquiring VRE include those how have been previously treated with vancomycin and combinations of other antibiotics. Treatment of VRE is generally with other antibiotics other than vancomycin. Prevention of VRE can be achieved by proper hand hygiene.
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Shock (Medical)
- Medical shock is a life-threatening medical condition. There are several types of medical shock, septic shock, anaphylactic shock, cardiogenic shock, hypovolemic shock, and neurogenic shock. Causes of shock include heart attack, heart failure, heavy bleeding (internal and external), infection, anaphylaxis, spinal cord injury, severe burns, chronic vomiting or diarrhea. Low blood pressure is the key sign of sock. Treatment is dependant upon the type of shock.
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