SINCE the first cardiac transplant in man was performed in late 1967, a total of 153 transplants have been carried out at Stanford University Medical Center as of Sept 1, 1978. There are 64 current survivors, and the longest living recipient is alive 8.6 years after the transplant.
The initial surge of transplants in 1968 and 1969 reflected the relative ease of the operative procedure (Figure). However, the complexities of diagnosis and control of allograft rejection resulted in high mortality and cessation of the procedure in many centers. Survival has steadily improved, however, and the current 70% one-year survival experience after cardiac transplantation at Stanford compares favorably with the results of cadaver kidney programs.
This article reviews the current indications and experience with cardiac transplantation in man and will reflect the experience with this procedure at Stanford University Medical Center, where approximately two thirds of all cardiac transplants have been