Abstract
The successful delivery of optimal peri-operative care to pediatric heart transplant recipients is a vital determinant of their overall outcomes. The practitioner caring for these patients must be familiar with and treat multiple simultaneous issues in a patient who may have been critically ill preoperatively. In addition to the complexities involved in treating any child following cardiac surgery, caretakers of newly transplanted patients encounter multiple transplant-specific issues. This chapter details peri-operative management strategies, frequently encountered early morbidities, initiation of immunosuppression including induction, and short-term outcomes.
Keywords: Pediatric heart transplant, critical care, ISHLT, PAWP, Vasoactive pharmacologic support, hemodynamic instability, systemic perfusion, norepinephrine, Continuous infusions, pericardial effusions
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