Life experiences in heart transplant recipients

INTRODUCTION: Heart transplantation is considered as a golden standard of treatment for advanced heart failure. After - transplantation health of patients is influenced by numerous issues which many of them are unknown to the treatment team including nurses. This research - with the aim of describing the life experiences of heart transplant patients - help us to get close to the patients private life and gain comprehensive and a general understanding of all aspects of their life. METHODS: This study applied qualitative approach using phenomenology method. The purposive sampling was conducted and continued with 9 participants until information reached saturation point. The participants are the heart transplant recipients who had surgery in Esfahan's Heart Surgery Center of Shahid Chamran. RESULTS: The extracted interviews were analyzed through Colaizzi method: The eleven extracted main concepts were included: Belief, tendencies of the recipient and family of donor, bewilderment, moment of facing with transplantation, satisfaction, vital organ, support, temperament, physical effects of transplantation, mental changes, paradox of life and death. CONCLUSION: In heart transplant patients, being in touch with peers and family support have an important role in putting up with the transplantation issue. Lack of social situation and social support were among the patients distresses. Lack of the necessary information about transplantation made patients dissatisfied with the heart transplantation. Regarding the research findings, training received by patients would not be suffice and lack of information has been made them face with problems; therefore, the nurse team of transplantation should play more an active role in training the patients.