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. JEFFREY D. HOSENPUD, M.D. Contents Preface v Contributors IX 1. Cardiac Transplantation: An Overview JEFFREY D. HOSENPUD AND ALBERT STARR Immunogenetics and Immunologic Mechanisms of 2. Rejection 15 DOUGLAS J. NORMAN 3. Medical Therapy Tailored for Advanced Heart Failure 33 LYNNE WARNER STEVENSON 4. Ventricular Assistance as a Bridge to Cardiac Transplantation 53 D. GLENN PENNINGTON AND MARC T. SWARTZ Recipient Selection for Cardiac Transplantation 71 5. GEORGE A. PANTELY 6. Donor Selection and Management for Cardiac Transplantation 85 JEFFREY SWANSON AND ADNAN COBANOGLU 7. Operative Techniques and Early Postoperative Care in Cardiac Transplantation 95 ADNAN COBANOGLU Endomyocardial Biopsy: Techniques and Interpretation of 8."