🫀 1. Dr. James Hardy – The First Human Heart Transplant Attempt (1964)

Written By Alan Ealy

🩸 The Procedure:

  • Dr. Hardy performed the first-ever heart transplant in a human... using a chimpanzee heart.

  • The patient was dying of heart failure, and Hardy had no human donor ready.

  • He opted for a xenotransplant (animal-to-human), thinking it was a last resort.

🚨 What Went Wrong:

  • The chimpanzee heart was too small and incompatible.

  • The patient survived only 90 minutes.

  • Hardy never attempted it again—public backlash was brutal.

Alan Ealy
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