PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - AlHabeeb, Waleed AU - AlAyoubi, Fakhr AU - Tash, Adel AU - AlAhmari, Leenah AU - AlHabib, Khalid F. TI - Attitude of the Saudi community towards heart donation, transplantation, and artificial hearts AID - 10.15537/smj.2017.7.18178 DP - 2017 Jul 01 TA - Saudi Medical Journal PG - 742--747 VI - 38 IP - 7 4099 - http://smj.org.sa/content/38/7/742.short 4100 - http://smj.org.sa/content/38/7/742.full SO - Saudi Med J2017 Jul 01; 38 AB - Objectives: To understand the attitudes of the Saudi population towards heart donation and transplantation.Methods: A survey using a questionnaire addressing attitudes towards organ transplantation and donation was conducted across 18 cities in Saudi Arabia between September 2015 and March 2016.Results: A total of 1250 respondents participated in the survey. Of these, approximately 91% agree with the concept of organ transplantation but approximately 17% do not agree with the concept of heart transplantation; 42.4% of whom reject heart transplants for religious reasons. Only 43.6% of respondents expressed a willingness to donate their heart and approximately 58% would consent to the donation of a relative’s organ after death. A total of 59.7% of respondents believe that organ donation is regulated and 31.8% fear that the doctors will not try hard enough to save their lives if they consent to organ donation. Approximately 77% believe the heart is removed while the donor is alive; although, the same proportion of respondents thought they knew what brain death meant.Conclusion: In general, the Saudi population seem to accept the concept of transplantation and are willing to donate, but still hold some reservations towards heart donation.