Pioneering U.S. Transplants: A Decade of Breakthroughs with Non-Beating Hearts

Patients who received heart transplants after undergoing an innovative surgical procedure gathered to reunite with the medical team that rescued their lives, commemorating the 10-year milestone since the first such operation was performed.

A cohort of 20 patients went back to the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge following a non-beating heart transplant procedure.

Historically, surgeries required a heart that was still beating, sourced from donors declared dead due to brain-stem failure. However, in February 2015, this hospital made history as the first in Europe to conduct such procedures using hearts that had ceased beating entirely.

The hospital has carried out 134 non-beating heart transplants since then, claiming this is the largest number at any center in the UK and among the top globally.

Annette Tremlin, aged 68, who was among the initial individuals in the nation to undergo a non-beating heart transplant back in June 2015, shared how the procedure enabled her to see her grandchildren mature.

"All six children were younger than five when I went through the transplantation process, and my primary concern back then was whether I would still be able to be a part of their lives," she stated.

Now they're all teenagers, and it's truly incredible. Heart failure can really halt everything suddenly. But getting a transplant has enabled me to lead a typical life once more.

She commented, "It’s incredible to witness people whom I haven’t encountered in the past decade still thriving and enjoying fulfilling lives."

The method created at Royal Papworth rejuvenates the heart’s functionality and transfers it to an "organ care system" to preserve its condition prior to the operation.

Liam Kay, aged 35, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, who was the 106th person to receive a transplant at Royal Papworth Hospital in 2022, shared how the surgery allowed him to begin salsa dancing two times each week.

“He mentioned, ‘It wasn’t something I ever aspired to do previously. My brother got into it, so I decided to try it out,’ he explained.”

I wouldn't have been capable of doing this before my transplant; I was much too ill at that time.

The innovative method emerged as a result of research spearheaded by Royal Papworth surgeons Steven Large and Steven Tsui, with financial backing provided by the Royal Papworth Charity.

Heart transplants often prove challenging due to the scarcity of viable donor hearts. However, utilizing non-beating hearts could boost the number of transplant procedures performed by hospitals, potentially saving hundreds of lives.

Mr. Large commented, "It has been delightful to witness several of our initial patients enjoying healthy and satisfying life experiences."

We wouldn't have been able to accomplish this without their faith in us, so we want to say thanks.

We couldn't achieve this without the invaluable gift of organ donation either. It's crucial when people decide to donate their organs and discuss this choice with their family members.