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First Heart Transplant-Kristin Schmitt

Page history last edited by Kristin Schmitt 13 years, 11 months ago

 

First Heart Transplant

December 3rd, 1967 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first heart transplant was performed on December 3rd, 1967.  It took place in Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa (Fisher.)

 

Fisher, John. "To Transplant & Beyond - Louis Washkansky." Heart Transplants Homepage. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. http://www.heart-transplant.co.uk/louis.html.
 

 

Dr Christiaan Barnard and the Two Hearts Film. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. <http://www.twoheartsfilm.com/>. 

 

 

 

 

 

The doctor who performed the transplant was Dr. Christiaan Barnard (Fisher.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The heart was donated by Denise Darvall, who had died in a car accident the day before.  Denise's father allowed the medical team to use his daughter's heart for the transplant (Wired.)

 

 

"First Heart Donor for a Transplant - Rights Managed - Corbis." Stock Photography, Illustration and Footage รข Corbis. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. <http://www.corbisimages.com/Enlargement/U1576396.html>.

 

Fisher, John. "To Transplant & Beyond - Louis Washkansky." Heart Transplants Homepage. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. http://www.heart-transplant.co.uk/louis.html.

 

 

 

 

 

Louis Washkansky, a 53-year-old grocer, was the patient (TIME.) 

 

 

 

 

 

Washkansky was experiencing heart failure and knew he was going to die.  He didn't have to think twice about getting a heart transplant (TIME.)

 

Fisher, John. "To Transplant & Beyond - Louis Washkansky." Heart Transplants Homepage. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. http://www.heart-transplant.co.uk/louis.html.

 

Fisher, John. "To Transplant & Beyond - Louis Washkansky." Heart Transplants Homepage. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. http://www.heart-transplant.co.uk/louis.html.

 

 

 

 

The operation took just over four hours.  Washkansky woke up an hour after his operation and felt perfectly fine (TIME.)

 

 

 

 

Washkansky was given immunosuppressant drugs to prevent his body from rejecting his new heart (Wired.) 

 

Photograph. Barts and The London. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. <www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk/.../ar43_drugs.jpg>.

  Washkansky felt well until two weeks after his operation.  He began to experience pains in his shoulder, stomach, and chest (Fisher.) 
Washkansky soon developed a chest infection.  Dr. Barnard decided it was caused by rejection (Fisher.)   

 

"Dec. 3, 1967: Patient Dies, but First Heart Transplant a Success." Wired News. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. <

" target=browserViewhttp://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/12/dayintech_1203>.

 

 

 

X-rays showed that there was a small shadow on one of Washkansky's lungs.  Washkansky began coughing up mucus.  His doctors decided to grow a culture from it to see what type of infection he had (Fisher.) 

The cultures showed that Washkansky had bilateral pneumonia (Wired.)   
  On December 21st, 1967, just eighteen days after his heart transplant, Louis Washkansky died of complications from bilateral pneumonia (Fisher.)
Dr. Christiaan Barnard continued performing heart transplants.  The survival rate for his patients began to increase.  One of his patients lived for 24 years after her heart transplant (Wired.)  
 

"Lung Transplant for Mesothelioma Patients - How To, Risks Associated, Symptoms & Prognosis." Mesothelioma Treatment. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. <http://www.themesotheliomalibrary.com/lung-transplants.html>.

 

 

 

Over ten years after the first heart transplant, cyclosporine became widely used.  Cyclosporine greatly reduces the risk of organ rejection.  Had Washkansky taken this drug instead of immunosuppressants, he might still be alive today (Wired.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Christiaan Barnard died in 2001, but his name still lives on (Wired.) 

 

"Christiaan Barnard Biography - Life, Childhood, Story, Death, History, School, Young, Old, Information, Born, Drugs, Time, Year." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ba-Be/Barnard-Christiaan.html>.

 

Secondary Sources: 

Fisher, John. "To Transplant & Beyond - Louis Washkansky." Heart Transplants Homepage. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. http://www.heart-transplant.co.uk/louis.html.

  

"Dec. 3, 1967: Patient Dies, but First Heart Transplant a Success." Wired News. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. <

" target=browserViewhttp://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/12/dayintech_1203>.

 

Primary Source: 

"Surgery: First Heart Transplant - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. <

" target=browserViewhttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,897112,00.html>

 

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