Heart transplantation

On December 3, 1967, Christiaan Barnard (1922-2002) introduced heart transplantation in humans for the first time. The journey that took him from Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa to the University of Minnesota Hospitals in Minneapolis and back to Cape Town is described through this writing. We present the seminal events forming this incredible story, starting in antiquity as the first physicians of our civilization began to consider and study the heart. The anatomy of the heart, its physiology and pathology are reviewed, as Barnard gained knowledge that formed the basis for the transplantation of 1967. He studied open heart surgery with the Minnesota group, learned how to repair congenital heart defects while in Minneapolis, and then established a heart surgery program at Groote Schuur before performing the first clinical heart transplant. Finally, Barnard studied the heart transplant technique developed by Lower and Shumway in dogs and learned how to manage immunosuppressive techniques in Virginia and Colorado. These skills completed the requirements for proceeding with the first heart transplant operation.