Pediatric Heart and Lung Transplantation
Information for Families
In December 1967, the first human heart transplant took place. Combined heart and lung transplants began in 1981. Then in 1983, a major hurdle was overcome when the drug cyclosporine was introduced to help control the rejection of donor organs.
Through the years, these once experimental procedures have evolved to become recognized treatments for certain heart and lung diseases. Approximately 2,300 heart transplants are performed each year. Heart-lung transplants are rarer, with only about 2,000 performed worldwide since 1995.
