Man Swaps His Heart for a New One, Plus Lungs
PALO ALTO — A Santa Cruz man gave his heart to a Redwood City man and received a heart and lungs from an anonymous donor in a rare double heart transplant, Stanford University Medical Center officials said.
Both patients were making good progress Friday in their recovery from the April 1 surgeries, doctors said.
Steven Rasmussen, 28, Santa Cruz, gave his heart to John Hasenkamp, 48, Redwood City, and received a heart and lungs from an anonymous donor, Stanford officials said.
Rasmussen was near death from an incurable lung ailment caused by cystic fibrosis, said Dr. Vaughn Starnes, chief of Stanford’s heart-lung transplant program.
Safety Measure
Although Rasmussen’s heart was in good condition, surgeons decided it would be safer to transplant both a heart and lungs into his body so the lungs would receive an adequate blood supply during and after the surgery.
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