As Heart Transplant Patient Dies, First Aid Questions Arise

Today I heard the news that Mr Macdonald, from Nairn in the Highlands, Britain's longest surviving heart transplant patient has died. My condolences go to his family and friends.

Gordon Macdonald was in his 60s and had suffered from Cardiomyopathy, which is sometimes a genetic disease that causes the heart muscle to become inflamed or enlarged. The wonders of modern science meant that Gordon Macdonald's life was extended by 26 years. Mr Macdonald underwent the operation at a Cambridge hospital in 1980. He had been forced to retire early due to the condition, but after the operation was able to work for a construction company.

By having the operation it allowed him to resume work, play golf and enjoy many more years with his family and friends. I admire the work of the physicians who are such skilled practitioners and able to give people like Mr Macdonald the opportunity to enjoy another quarter of a century on this planet.

I am often asked on First Aid Courses, what a First Aider should do with a casualty who collapses and stops breathing normally if the First Aider knows the casualty has had such an operation.

The answer is simple; the treatment would be no different from any other casualty showing the same signs and symptoms. After all, a heart transplant means a replacement organ, so you would carry out CPR in the same way.