TRANSCANADADA PROCEDURE INSTRUCTIONS:

The surgeon will begin by exposing the chest cavity through a cut in the ribcage. The surgeon will then open the pericardium (a membrane that covers the entire heart) in order to remove your diseased heart. The back part of your own left atrium will be left in place, but the rest of the heart will be removed.

Your new DADA heart will be carefully trimmed and sewn to fit the remaining parts of your old heart. This transplant method is called a “TransCanaDADA procedure”. This is the most common method used to transplant hearts.

Procedure | Starla Bontecou | 2010