Longest-surviving heart transplant patient breaks world record

The longestsurviving heart transplant patient, who underwent his operation in England, has been recognised by the Guinness World Records, reported German news agency (dpa).

Bert Janssen, 57, from the Netherlands, has survived 39 years with the donor heart he received at Harefield Hospital in London in the 1980s.

After developing flu-like symptoms when he was 17, Janssen was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a condition that impacts the heart's ability to pump blood around the body.

His cardiologist in his home country had ties with Harefield Hospital in London and transplant pioneer Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, who eventually carried out the operation on June 6, 1984, as the patient had turned 18.

The procedure had not been carried out yet in the Netherlands at the time.

Janssen said: "It all went very fast. Only a week after arriving at Harefield, two hearts became available from a car accident in London.

"I had a match with one of these and the heart was transplanted. As Dr Mattart told me 30 years later, it must have been the perfect match."

Janssen said the new heart allowed him to quickly "return to a good quality of life", playing tennis and volleyball and securing a full-time job.

He married his wife, Petra, in 1996, welcomed sons Guido and Ivo in 1996 and 2000, respectively, and is now a keen air glider.

His operation was the 107th transplant to be carried out at Harefield.

The first was carried out by Sir Magdi in 1980 and the centre has since completed thousands of transplants, with 54 conducted in 2022/23.

Dr Fernando Riesgo Gil, consultant cardiologist and lead of the heart transplantation service at Harefield Hospital, said: "It is fantastic news to hear that one of our early Harefield transplant patients continues to live such a full and happy life so long after his transplant."

According to data on the NHS Blood and Transplant website, there were 7,314 adults on the active transplant waiting list in the UK as of last week (Feb 2, 2024), along with 248 patients under the age of 18.

Of the total, some 334 are waiting for hearts. — Bernamadpa