The Heart (as if you didn't know) is a muscular organ that pumps blood around your body.
The first successul heart transplant was carried out by Christiaan Barnard in 1967.
Acording to the American Heart Foundation …
There were 2,202 heart transplants performed in the United States in 2000 and 2,184 in 1999.
In the United States, about 73 percent of heart transplant patients are male; 74 percent are white; 49 percent are ages 50-64 and 21 percent are ages 35-49.
The one-year survival rate is 85 percent; the three-year survival rate is about 77 percent; and the five-year survival rate is 71 percent.
The heart valves may be used from hearts which can not be used for a full heart transplant.
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