Human Heart Transplantation
The first human heart transplant occurred in December 1967, less than two years prior to the first artificial heart transplant. It was performed by South African cardiac surgeon Dr. Christiaan Barnard at the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Three days later, Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz performed the world’s first pediatric heart transplant at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, from 1988 to 2015, there have been a total of 60,589 heart transplants performed in the U.S., with more than 47% (or 28,772) in people ages 50 to 64. The smallest number were done in children ages 6 to 10, with just 1,097 transplants. The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation estimates that about 5,000 heart transplants are performed annually worldwide, but as many as 50,000 people are candidates for transplantation.
About 85 to 90% of heart transplant patients are still living one year after surgery, with an annual death rate of approximately 4% after the first year. The three-year survival rate is close to 75%. Patients who have undergone transplant for CHDs experience slightly lower survival rates, with a one-year survival rate of 79% and five-year survival rate of 60%
In the great tradition of its visionary founder, internationally-renowned heart surgeon and humanitarian, Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Health City Cayman Islands offers state-of-the-art, cost effective adult cardiology and pediatric cardiology services. Discover why Health City Cayman Islands is a world-class destination for heart patients of all ages – committed to delivering compassionate, patient-centric care.
