cardiomyopathy and mitral valve

Back a while ago I asked a question on surgery to repair the mitral valve with a person with a EF of 27.  You suggested I be reelvauated for the surgery.  Since that time I have gone to have the evlauation and have been told I need a battery of tests for a transplant.  This they told be was because if something when wrong with the valve repacement I would need to have a backup plan.  All this leaves me with more questions. What is the success rate of such an operation?  They said they would place me on the heart transplant list if they do the surgery,  Does that mean they will have a heart ready or that I will just be on the list when they do the surgery?  If they don't have one available when the do the surgery what will happen if I need one?  What will life be after the surgery?  If I decide not to have the surgery will my heart get worse faster that if I had it.
I hope you can help as it is a life and death decision and I don't want to make a mistake.

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

What this means is that your doctors consider you a very high risk surgical candidate.  They are not willing to undertake the surgery unless there is a "back-up" plan in place.  If you are accepted on the transplant list and things go wrong in surgery you can probably get a heart within several days (you would be on the top of the list).  As far as the exact percentages of risk, etc. you will have to ask your doctors.