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The longest surviving heart transplant patient undergoing surgery in the UK has been recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Bart Jansen, 57, from the Netherlands, survived for 39 years with a donor heart he received at London’s Harefield Hospital in the 1980s.
Janssen was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at age 17 after developing flu-like symptoms. This cardiomyopathy is a disease that affects the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body.
A cardiologist in his home country had links with transplant pioneer Professor Sir Magdy Yacoub at Harefield Hospital and ultimately performed the operation on June 6, 1984, when the patient turned 18. .
At that time, this procedure had not yet been implemented in the Netherlands.
Mr. Jansen said: Just a week after he arrived at Harefield, a major car accident occurred in London which left him with two hearts.
“I had a match with one of them and received a heart transplant. As Dr. Mattart told me some 30 years later, it must have been a perfect match.”
Ms Jansen said her new heart would allow her to quickly “return to a good quality of life”, allowing her to play tennis and volleyball and secure a full-time job.
He married his wife Petra in 1996, welcomed sons Guido and Ivo in 1996 and 2000, respectively, and is now passionate about air gliding.
Mr. Jansen added, “One of my proudest accomplishments is that my wife Petra and my parents built our own home brick by brick.”
His surgery was the 107th transplant performed at Harefield.
The first transplant was carried out by Sir Magdy in 1980 and since then the center has completed thousands of transplants, with 54 transplants carried out in 2022/23.
Dr Fernando Riesgo Gil, Consultant Cardiologist and Head of Heart Transplant Service at Harefield Hospital, said: ”
Data from the NHS Blood and Transplant website shows that as of last week (2 February 2024), there were 7,314 adults on the transplant waiting list in the UK and 248 patients under the age of 18. It is included.
Of the total, about 334 are waiting for hearts.
“Unfortunately, many of these people will die on the waiting list because there is a shortage of organ donors in this country,” Dr. Gill warned.
“We hope Bart’s story will encourage others to consider registering as organ donors and give the gift of life.”
Jansen said she remains “grateful for the amazing gift” she received from donors and hopes her story will inspire others.
“I never imagined I would get this far, but I always looked up to others who had donor hearts longer than me,” he said.
“It’s an honor to reach this milestone, but most importantly I know I can set the standard for others. It’s possible to come this far with a donor heart. This has been officially proven.
“I think the marker still has a long way to go, but I would be happy if someone else could beat my record in time.”