Overview

• Katie Mitchell, 53, received a combined transplant at Royal Papworth in September 1987 after Eisenmenger syndrome caused irreversible heart and lung damage.
• Clinicians report her transplanted organs continue to function well, and she later required kidney transplants in 1994 and 2015.
• Only about five combined heart–lung transplants are performed each year in the UK, reflecting the procedure’s rarity and complexity.
• NHS Blood and Transplant urged the public to record donation decisions, noting one donor can save up to nine lives.
• The UK transplant waiting list stands at 8,124 people, including 12 awaiting a heart–lung transplant, according to the latest figures cited.