An evaluation of the risks of heart transplantation, and in particular operative risk factors, should lead to optimal decision making in light of the lack of sufficient supply of transplantable organs. The optimal recipient for transplantation is the patient who will benefit best from the organ in terms of survival and quality of life and for whom the operative risk is the smallest. This study emphasized the preparing role of donors over 45, the poorer prognosis in recipients over 60, the situations limited by pulmonary resistance and the notion of retransplantation. The practical impact of these observations is of prime importance.