Meet Johan: The first South African man with a mechanical heart
His daughter was only six months old when doctors told him he had heart failure...
A man from eMalahleni now has a mechanical heart.
Johan van Wyk joined Breakfast with Martin Bester on Tuesday morning to express his gratitude at having this procedure.
Johan says: "The first few weeks were tough after the operation but after a while it got better. I had to adjust my life because I cannot swim, for example.”
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Johan heard he had heart failure when he was 29 years old. He’s the first person in South Africa to have a mechanical heart - The Abbott HeartMate3.
Two heart surgeons, Dr Willie Koen and Dr Loven Moodley, worked together to transplant the mechanical heart into Johan. Dr Koen says: "It was a long process, and it was a first for South Africa. We just don’t have enough organs to save the next person and as a result they did artificial heart studies about 50 years ago.”
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What exactly is a mechanical heart? Listen to Dr Koen’s answer below and tune in to the 'Breakfast with Martin Bester', weekdays from 06:00 - 09:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.
Image credit: Supplied