Surgical first for North East heart patients

A surgical first has been carried out at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

This procedure for a heart transplant was first trialled at the Papworth Hospital in Cambridge four years go.

It involved restarting the organ in the donor body, which is then transferred to a machine before being transplanted into the recipient.

Kenneth Morris from Carlisle was the first to have this pioneering procedure under the care of surgeon Asif Shah.

  • Watch the full video here:

On Monday 19 August 2019, we broadcast a special programme marking the 2019 World Transplant Games, held here in the North East.

Join us in celebrating the athletic achievement, medical success stories and the remarkable generosity and courage of organ donors and recipients.

You can watch the programme here.