A brighter outlook for heart transplant patients

‘As a teen when I read about Dr. Christian Bernard’s accounts of heart transplants I was amazed at the incredible contributions to human life science can make. Later I was blown away to hear him speak when he visited my school’, says our Executive Trustee, Soma. ‘In 2018 we learned that local hospitals The Royal Brompton and Harefield were seeking funding for Organ Care Systems (OCS). OCS is a new technology that’s revolutionising the success of critical heart transplants, drastically improving the outlook for patients. Our matched-funding grant of £100,000 helped cover the cost of OCS transplants.’

The importance of donations

Heart transplants are one of the most complex medical procedures that can be undertaken, and there is little solace to take from other key stats associated with them. Only around 200 transplants take place in the UK each year, despite a growing waiting list and a growing number of people donating organs.

Nearly 80% of available hearts for transplant are not healthy enough, which means only around 50% of people on the waiting list will have their transplant within 3 years. Sadly, one in five die before a suitable heart becomes available. At the end of 2018 Harefield Hospital had 93 patients waiting for a transplant.