Cardiorespiratory Adaptations of Heart Transplant Patients During a Constant Work Load Exercise at the Ventilatory Threshold

Cardiac transplantation has become a well-accepted and successful treatment for persons with end-stage heart disease. This is due to improvements in surgical techniques and overall management (donor and organ management), but also to the rapid progress in the treatment of rejection and medical complications after transplantation. The current survival rates reported on the basis of 1200 heart transplants are 81% for 1 year and 72% for 5 years [1]. Moreover, the patients also have an enhanced quality of life due to an increased functional capacity.