A
heart transplant, or a
cardiac transplant, is a surgical
transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage
heart failure or severe
coronary artery disease. As of 2008 the most common procedure is to take a working
heart from a recently deceased
organ donor (cadaveric
allograft) and implant it into the patient. The patient's own heart is either removed (orthotopic procedure) or, less commonly, left in place to support the donor heart (heterotopic procedure). Post-operation survival periods average 15 years. Heart transplantation is not considered to be a cure for heart disease, but a life-saving treatment intended to improve the quality of life for recipients.