The World’s First Heart Transplant & Christiaan Barnard

On December 3rd, 1967 at the Groote Schuur Hospital in South Africa, a team led by Dr. Christiaan Barnard pioneered the first human-to-human heart transplantation surgery. The patient, Mr. Louis Washkansky, only lived 18 days post-procedure but the cause of death was not the donor heart. We explore the layers of scientific foundation laid down that made this achievement possible, learn a bit about South Africa, and see what motivated Dr. Barnard. headcoldpodcast.com Facebook & IG @headcoldpod

Major sources: National Institutes of Health The Economist Mayo Clinic The Dick Cavett Show Congress.gov

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