DECEMBER 3, 1967
It is a complex and vital operation that saved 145 lives last year in the UK.
Yet heart transplants would not have been possible were it not for the pioneering work of South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard more than 50 years ago. He performed the first successful heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town on December 3, 1967. Barnard had previously conducted successful kidney transplants and practised heart transplants on dogs before attempting the procedure.
The operation on Louis Washkansky, a 54-year-old diabetic who had refractory heart failure following several heart attacks, lasted approximately five hours.
Washkansky received the heart of 25-year-old Denise Darvall, who had died in a road traffic accident. The operation was a success, with the patient able to sit up and speak to his family, doctors and reporters. However, Washkansky died 18 days later of pneumonia, probably due to anti-rejection drugs that suppressed his immune system.
A second operation by Barnard in 1968 saw another patient, Philip Blaiberg, live another 19 months. His fifth and sixth patients lived for almost 13 and 24 years respectively.
The first heart transplant in the UK with long-term success was performed by Terence English on August 18, 1979. The patient, Keith Castle, lived for another five years, making British transplant history.