Heart transplant

This picture shows where the new heart is placed.

A heart transplant is a type of surgery where someone's damaged or failing heart is removed and replaced with a healthier donor heart, likely to be from someone who passed just a few hours prior to the surgery. it is required that two or more healthcare providers declare the donor brain-dead.

It is otherwise known as an 'open heart procedure', taking several hours to accomplish. The first heart transplant on a human was done by Christiaan Barnard on Louis Washkansky, a 54-year-old with both diabetes and incurable heart disease at the time. This procedure was carried out on Sunday 3rd December 1967.

^[1]

Heart Transplant Media

A beating heart awaiting transplant

References

↑ "A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries: Christiaan Barnard". pbs.org. 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2011.

Other websites

Heart transplant website built by heart transplant patient, John Fisher

[1] "A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries: Christiaan Barnard". pbs.org. 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2011.

[1]