Former Vice President Cheney gets heart transplant (707 hits)
March 24, 2012 Former Vice President D. Cheney, 71, was recovering Saturday evening after undergoing heart transplant surgery, his office said. He had been on the transplant list for more than 20 months, his office said.
More than 3,100 Americans currently are on the national waiting list for a heart transplant. Just over 2,300 heart transplants were performed last year, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. And 330 people died while waiting. According to UNOS, 332 people over age 65 received a heart transplant last year. The majority of transplants occur in 50- to 64-year-olds. The odds of survival are good. More than 70 per cent of heart transplant recipients live at least five years, although survival is a bit lower for people over age 65.
