Heart Transplant FAQs
Reasons for a Heart Transplant
Heart transplants are required when cardiac issues lead to heart failure. This may be due to:
- Cardiomyopathy (weakening of the heart muscle)
- Congenital heart defect (most common cause of heart failure in children)
- Ventricular Arrythmias (recurring and dangerous abnormal heart rhythyms)
- Heart Disease
- Previous transplant failure
How Many?
In 2024, there were 116 heart transplants performed in Pennsylvania, 2.5% of the 4,572 heart transplants performed nationally that same year. Nationally, heart transplants only comprised 9.5% of all single organ transplants performed in 2024, making it the third most common transplant procedure after Kidney and Liver transplants.1
Survivability Rates
Average Time on Waiting List
At four months, the average wait time for a heart transplant is relatively quick compared to other transplant procedures.4
Average Cost
Unfortunately, Heart transplants are the most expensive single organ transplant procedure, averaging over 1.9 million dollars billed per procedure in the US in 2025.5
The cost of the individual procedure is not the whole picture, however. Prescription drug costs are also a major factor in overall financial burden. Transplant patients require lifelong immunosuppressant prescriptions in order to prevent their immune system from rejecting the donor organ. These medications can be costly depending on insurance coverage.
Travel costs are also a factor. There are only so many transplant centers in the United States, so prolonged travel is not uncommon for transplant patients receiving care, especially for rural patients, who already struggle with healthcare access. In Pennsylvania in 2024, 39% of transplant patients had to travel more than 150 nautical miles for their treatment. Nationally, that percentage increased to 46% for the same year.6
Risks
Aside from the usual risks of major surgeries, heart transplants incur several risk:
- Organ Rejection – The body has an adverse reaction to the donor organ
- Primary Graft Failure – The donor heart fails to function
- Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy – The heart arteries thicken and harden, interfering with blood circulation and causing heart problems
- Medication side effects – Immunosuppressants needed to prevent organ rejection can cause kidney damage and increase the risk of infection and other medical issues
How Can I Help?
The biggest barriers to transplantation are cost and supply. You can help address these issues by:
- Data from the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network ↩︎
- Data from the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network ↩︎
- Long-term outcome following heart transplantation: current perspective – PMC ↩︎
- Gift of Life ↩︎
- 2025 U.S. organ and tissue transplants: Estimated costs and utilization, emerging issues, and solutions ↩︎
- Data from the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network ↩︎