Historical Developments that Facilitated Heart Transplantation

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, multiple approaches to heterotopic canine heart transplantation were attempted. In 1946, Demikhov recorded several cases in which he performed orthotopic heart-lung transplants using sequential anastomoses to preserve both donor and host organs without cardiopulmonary bypass. By 1964, the operative technique pioneered by Shumway and Lower coupled with advances in immunosuppression set the stage for human cardiac transplantation. By the end of 1968, 104 heart transplants had been performed across 17 countries worldwide. Developments in the preservation and protection of donor cardiac grafts were achieved preceding and parallel to the advancements of human heart transplantation. In the early 1950s, building on the work of Mann, several advancements on donor graft protection took place. In 1957, the work of Webb and Howard resulted in the use of preservative solutions to allow for storage and transportation of the heart.