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Acute Rejection: the most common type of rejection, usually occurs after the first week and within six months of surgery. However, it can happen any time. Arteries: Any of a branching system of blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. Artificial Heart: A heart made from man-made materials. B Blood: a red fluid that travels around the body in veins and arteries. Blood is made up of the plasma, a straw colored liquid in which float red and white corpuscles. Blood vessels : A narrow tubular body part through which blood flows. C Capillaries: microscopic blood vessels; tubes which carry blood to every cell in the body. Cardiac Biopsy: procedure using a catheter to get a sample of tissue from the heart to send to the lab to check for rejection. Cardiomypathy: A disease of the heart muscle that causes the heart to pump poorly. The cause is often unknown Cells: The basic unit of living matter in all organisms Chronic Rejection: this can happen any time, even years later. D E Electric Shock: A reviving technique doctors use when a person's heart stops beating F G H Heart: the muscular organ which acts like a double pump to push blood into the lungs and around the body. It is situated between the lungs, slightly left of the center in the chest. Hyperacute Rejection: a severe form of rejection, happens within minutes or hours of the transplant and the new heart must be taken out. There is not treatment. The monthly blood test help prevent this. I Immune System: The body's defense to fight off germs, infection, and illness. Incision: A cut Infection: The occurrence of disease or illness in by introducing bacteria, viruses, fungi or other organisms. J K L M N O P Q R Rejection: The body's natural way in which the immune system attacks your transplanted heart. The body tries to get rid of the heart as if it was a germ. S T Transplant: To replace with another U V Veins: Any of a branching system of blood vessels through which blood returns to the heart. Virus: Any of various very small disease-producing particles that can infect humans. W X Y Z |