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| Patient is Louis Washansky, with Dr. Barnard |
"Dr Terry O’ Donovan removed Denise Darvall's (donor) heart from the chest
and carried it to the adjacent recipient operating room, to which I had returned. Louis Washkansky’s heart was then
similarly removed, and, for the first time in my life, I stared into an empty chest. At that moment, the full impact of what
I was attempting became abundantly clear to me." Dr. Christiaan Barnard said about his thoughts on his marvelous accomplishment.
| Denise Darvall |
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Denise Darvall (1943-1967) was the donor in the world's first successful heart transplant. She
was very seriously injured in a car accident in Cape Town. Denise's mother, who was also involved in the crash, died immediately.
Denise sustained a skull fracture and severe head injuries. She couldn't stay alive without life support and was essentially
brain dead. After Denise's father gave his consent, Denise's heart was donated to Louis Washansky.
Washansky was so ill before the operationthat he would only have lived a few day without it.
His diseased heart was replaced by 25-year old Denise Darvall's. Washansky died just 18 days after his operation. Ironically,
his death was not due to his body rejecting the foreign tissue as is often the case. He died of lung comlpications brought
on by an early overuse of immuno- suppressive drugs administered as a preventitive measure. It is uncertain how long he would
have live had he not experienced this tragic complication.
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