What are the costs of a heart transplantation?
Heart transplantation is an extremely complex and therefore costly procedure. The costs for a heart transplantation in Germany are about 170,000 Euros. However, since the procedure is only performed when medically indicated in patients with severe heart disease who cannot be treated in any other way, the costs are fully covered by health insurance.
What is the age limit for heart transplantation?
Heart transplantation should only be considered if the patient’s general condition is stable and the other organs are strong enough to ensure a successful outcome. Therefore, an upper age limit for heart transplantation has been set, which is currently 70 years. However, this is the so-called biological age.
This means that the actual signs of aging of the organs must be individually assessed and taken into account for each patient. Ultimately, when considering whether a heart transplantation is an option for a patient, an individual decision must always be made on a case-by-case basis. However, there is no lower age limit for heart transplantation. In some cases of severe heart malformations, the earliest possible surgery in newborns and small children even represents the only chance of survival.
