How To Get Your Child On The National Donor List
If your baby has congenital cardiomyopathy, then you should be very concerned. Cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart becomes weakened and stretched. This condition prevents your heart from pumping effectively. This results in heart failure. Your heart is no longer able to meet the needs of your body.
When heart failure occurs, it becomes impossible to manage your baby's condition with medical therapies. At this point, your baby will need a heart transplant. You can start the process by talking to the pediatric cardiology department. Read on to find out how to get on the national donor list.
What Is The Wait List?
The national waiting list is an online database for everyone who is waiting for any type of organ transplant. It includes medical information for every person on the list that is from the United States and Puerto Rico. People on the list are not assigned a number ranking. The list does not move up or down when someone receives a transplant.
Find A Transplant Hospital
To get considered for the list, your child must get a referral from his or her cardiologist to a transplant hospital. There are over 200 transplant hospitals in the United States. It is important that you learn as much as possible about these facilities. Your decision should be based on finances, insurance, location and available support.
Schedule An Appointment
You will need to schedule an appointment. Transplant hospitals must examine the potential donor receiver. The facility wants to make sure your child is a good candidate for a transplant. It is important that you ask questions to learn more about the procedure, the hospital, and its transplant team.
The transplant team is a group of medical professionals that work together to make sure the transplant is successful. It usually includes a transplant coordinator, surgeon, financial coordinator, physician, social worker, insurance case manager, and dietician.
Wait For Your Notification
If your child is considered a good candidate, then he or she is added to the list. Your transplant hospital will notify you about the date. The facility will tell you the exact date that your child is added to the national waiting list.
Getting a heart transplant is an expensive procedure. It is important to find out how much is covered by your insurance. For expenses not covered by insurance, you should raise private funds. You can accomplish this by coordinating with local fundraising groups. To learn more about how to prepare, contact a company like Alpert Zales & Castro Pediatric Cardiology.