A cardiac transplant programme--the nurses role

In 1967 the first heart transplant was performed by Dr Christian Barnard in Capetown. Attempts to establish the technique at units worldwide produced poor results, mainly due to rejection and infection. In the 1970s, particularly at Stanford University Hospital, California, further work related to the detection and treatment of rejection allowed improvements in patient management and subsequent encouraging results in mortality and quality of life. The major breakthrough was, however, due to the introduction of cyclosporin into clinical practice in 1983. This immunosuppressive agent significantly reduced the mortality related to rejection. At the same time progress was made in several countries to establish the legal definition of brain death and to develop means of transporting donor organs over long distances.