Heart and heart-lung transplantations are high risk emergency procedures
performed in patients with the end-stage circulatory and/or respiratory failure. Aim of the study was to identify the key factors resulting in successful nurse care in recipients of thoracic transplantations. Participation of nurses in the process of transplant patient's management begins at the operating rooms and continues at all stages of hospital care. It is extremely important to cooperate with surgeons, physicians, rehabilitation specialists, and all other types of professionals involved in taking care of patient undergoing transplantation. Successful cooperation is a result of profound medical knowledge and personal qualities of nurses working in transplantation units. The key elements in transplantation nursing are: very careful observation of the transplant recipients - nurses have the closest contact with patients 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and they are able to notice even very subtle changes in patients' status; nurses are responsible for successful rehabilitation of transplant patients, especially they support the motivation of patients, which is often week or poorly formed; nurses have the ability to create a good atmosphere around patients and their families in a very special situation of transplant recipients typically requiring long-term hospitalizations. A list of special situations, when transplant nursing is especially important is long including: taking care of patients with suspected or established acute rejection, monitoring of side-effects of immunosuppressive therapy, observation of patients after endomyocardial biopsy or coronary angiography, glycaemia management in subject suffering from diabetes.

Keywords: Heart Transplantation, Lung Transplantation