Partial Heart Transplantation: A Review for Critical Care and Advanced Practice Nurses.

Partial heart transplantation has emerged as a novel, innovative solution to the problem of valvular cardiac disease in children, allowing the transplantation of living donor tissue that retains cellular viability and growth potential. Since the first pediatric partial heart transplant was performed at Duke University in 2022, the procedure has continued to grow and develop, with excellent clinical outcomes. This review examines the clinical history of partial heart transplantation; clinical outcomes to date; special considerations for perioperative multidisciplinary management specific to critical care nurses, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants; and future directions and implications of partial heart transplantation in the pediatric population, both locally and globally.