Even if heart transplantation is an undisputed source of medical progress, several complications still hamper the outcome of transplanted patients. Among them, infections are associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. Depending on clinical and radiological signs and based on the time interval after transplantation, a broad spectrum of microbial pathogens can be responsible for these infections. This microbiological diversity, associated with altered clinical signs due to immunosuppressive drugs, is a cause of delayed diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this overview is to provide a structured procedure to explore fever and specific symptoms that can be suggestive of infection in heart-transplanted patients. Furthermore, main preventive and curative strategies will be described.
Infections