Heart Transplant

By Richard Lee

What is a heart?

It is a type of organ that can be found in all animals with a circulatory system. This organ helps pump our blood throughout the whole body.

Function of HeartAorta: This is the largest artery (blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart) in our body. Aorta is connected from the left ventricle of the heart to the abdomen (belly). Superior vena cava: It is a vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the body to the heart’s right atrium. Pulmonary trunk: The“Pulmonary artery” carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lung. Left atrium: It is one of the four chambers of our heart in our body. It receives the oxygenated blood from the pulmonary veins. Pulmonary Veins: It is a large blood vessel or a vein that carries oxygenated blood from lungs to the left atrium. Right Ventricle: It is one of the four chambers of our heart. It receives deoxygenated blood from the right atrium. Left Ventricle: It is one of the four chambers of our heart. It receives oxygenated blood from the left atrium. Inferior Vena Cava: Large veins that carry deoxygenated blood from the lower half of the body into the right atrium of the heart.

What is Heart transplant?

A heart transplant or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant method used on patients when they have heart failure or severe coronary artery disease.

History of heart transplant

Norman Shumway is known as the father of heart transplantation however the world's first adult human heart transplant was performed by a South African cardiac surgeon named Christiaan Barnard. Barnard performed the first transplant on Louis Washkansky on December 3, 1967 at the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Now many doctors and surgeons recommend this procedure.

Ethical Issues of Heart Transplant

Can people who didn’t donate their organs, receive one when they need it?

Should an elderly person receive a donor organ?

Should people who are more important in society receive donor organs before lower class citizens?

Bibliography • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aorta• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_vena_cava• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulmonary_trunk• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_atrium• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulmonary_Veins• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_Ventricle• http://www.myjewishlearning.com/ideas_belief/bioethics/Overview_Organ_Donation/Bioethics_OrganMiscon_LAJJ/Bioethi

cs_OrganRess_Dorff_files/image002.jpg• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_transplantation• http://associationsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/0625_ethics-800x480.jpg• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiaan_Barnard