Dutch man breaks world record by living for 40 years with a donor's heart

A 57-year-old man from the Netherlands has been living with a donated heart since June 1984. It is the longest anyone has ever stayed alive after a heart transplantt. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized the new record.

Bert Janssen was told at 17 years of age that he was suffering from a cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body. He was eligible for a heart transplant in London, as it was not yet possible to have the procedure in the Netherlands. It was the 107th heart transplant for the London hospital. The first operation to replace a heart in the Netherlands happened later that year in Rotterdam.

A week after arriving in London, a car accident happened, resulting in two organ donors passing away, Janssen told British media on Thursday. The Dutch man was given the heart from one of them.

He said that he is "still grateful for this unbelievable gift." He is now married and a father of two sons.

According to the Dutch Transplant Foundation, 74 heart transplants were performed in the Netherlands last year. Approximately 149 people were waiting for a new heart at the end of last year. The waiting list has been shortened.

This is partly because people have received a new heart and no longer have to wait, but somewhat also because people have died while waiting or because their condition has become too bad to be eligible for a transplant.