Britannica
Sources used in this answer
When was the first successful single-lung transplant performed?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
transplant
British surgeon Andrew Ready flushing a donated kidney during a transplant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, England, 2006.
The first successful single-lung transplant was performed in 1983 by thoracic surgeon Joel D. Cooper at Toronto General Hospital. The patient in this landmark procedure survived for six years.1
While an earlier attempt at a single-lung transplant was made in 1963, that patient survived for only 18 days. Following the success in 1983, Cooper also performed the first successful double-lung transplant in 1986. These advancements in lung transplantation have since provided life-saving options for individuals suffering from conditions such as cystic fibrosis, emphysema, and pulmonary fibrosis.21