Portugal's first heart transplant turned 40—meet the survivors still thriving

Forty years ago, Portugal achieved a medical milestone with its first heart transplant. The procedure, performed by João Queiroz e Melo, opened the door to countless life-saving operations. Since then, advancements in surgery and medication have transformed patient outcomes. Eva Pinto made history on February 18, 1984, as the first person in Portugal to receive a transplanted heart. She was 54 at the time. Her new heart functioned for nine years before she died in 1995.

A major breakthrough came in 1983 with the introduction of immunosuppressant drugs. These medications slashed the risk of organ rejection, giving patients far better survival chances.

Manuel Camões underwent his transplant on July 10, 1988, at the age of 50. Now 87, he remains active and holds the record as Portugal’s longest-surviving recipient using an older surgical technique.

Armando Ferro first received a heart transplant in 2001 at 33, due to Becker muscular dystrophy and cardiomyopathy. In January 2020, he became the first patient at Lisbon Western Local Health Unit/Santa Cruz Hospital to undergo a second transplant. Decades after the first operation, heart transplants in Portugal continue to extend lives. Patients like Manuel Camões and Armando Ferro demonstrate the long-term success of these procedures. Improved drugs and surgical techniques have made such outcomes possible.