Johannesburg - Joseph Jordaan, who is now 68-years-old, recently returned to the operating room at the Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital, six decades after he underwent his first life-changing heart surgery.
Jordaan was born with a congenital heart defect, and at the same time, the world's first human-to-human heart transplant would be performed less than five years later, on December 3, 1967, by the visionary Dr. Christiaan Barnard, the very same surgeon who performed the ventricular septal defect repair to the hole in Jordaan’s heart.
World-renowned cardiac and transplant surgeon Dr. Willie Koen said that it was a profoundly moving moment as he and his colleagues stood in the operating theatre at Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital to perform Jordaan’s second heart procedure.
"There was almost no evidence of the surgery performed by Professor Barnard 61 years ago to repair the hole in Joe’s heart. The work was meticulous, and to this day, it continues to serve Joe well. This time, we were working on a different heart-related modification to replace Joe’s heart valve, close to the septum where the hole in his heart had been repaired.“
"It was awe-inspiring and humbling knowing that the work of this incredible surgeon, who had operated on this very same heart using very different technology more than six decades ago, lived on 22 years after he had passed on. What an incredible legacy Professor Barnard has left, not only for his patients but for surgeons like me who were able to follow in his footsteps," said Koen.
A retired petrol and diesel mechanic, Jordaan, said he felt well after the procedure. He said that his first heart procedure lasted a lifetime, during which he married his wife Jean and gained three stepchildren and a daughter of his own.
"I was living well, eating and drinking like everyone else. Along the way, I have had a few health scares, which, among others, resulted in having 36 centimetres of my colon removed. I also had two hip replacements. Nowadays, I watch what I eat and don't drink," he said.
According to Dr. Koen, ventricular septal defect repair, even by today’s standards, can be a complex and difficult procedure.
"It's important to note that surgical techniques and equipment have evolved significantly since 1962. Today, most heart surgeries can be performed using minimally invasive approaches, reducing the need for large incisions and the use of a heart-lung machine in some cases.
“Nowadays, open-heart surgeries, which are almost a routine procedure, usually require a hospital stay of four to five days. Once you're discharged from the hospital, it can take six to eight weeks for your breastbone and chest muscles to heal as you gradually return to your normal daily routine," he said.
Koen said that he thought there was an underestimation of the enormous evolution of cardiac surgery and how far we have come.
"It is when you look at the life of Joe Jordaan and how he would not have seen adulthood if not for the procedure performed by Professor Chris Barnard all those years ago, and the fact that he has now been given a second lease on life once more, that you fully understand the value and tremendous impact of cardiac surgery," he said.
The Star