Heart transplantation: psychosocial correlations in the postoperative period
Bunzel, B.
Praxis 84(31-32): 866-871
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 1661-8157 PMID: 7676108 Document Number: 439299
Heart transplantation offers not only increased quantity but also highly improved quality of life. Nevertheless, it should not be seen as a panacea. Postoperatively the patients and their spouses face and have to overcome profound psychosocial problems. In this paper the five most important phases in the emotional adjustment to heart transplantation are discussed as to their significance for the patient, the patient's relationship to his/her partner and in view of the care by the medical team. These phases are a. the early postoperative period, b. rejection episodes, c. the postoperative inpatient phase, d. discharge and e. the first postoperative year. The paper highlights the difficulty of and the necessity for psychological care of heart transplant patients to reassure them emotionally and support them during phases of psychological instability.