World’s longest surviving heart transplant recipient reaches 41 years
Susan Burkhart, 74, of Mount Vernon, IL, was only 33 years old when she walked into her mother’s house and felt unwell. She fell to the floor, her mother called 911, and soon Susan was rushed to SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mount Vernon, IL for heart complications. She was later transferred to SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital where she continued to go into cardiac arrest. She was quickly put on the donor’s list for a new heart.
Susan suffered from cardiomyopathy, which is caused by a virus that attacks the heart muscle. Her heart was enlarged, and very weak and deteriorating. Her heart no longer could function properly.
Susan wasn’t on the list long before she received a match. Doctors said she was at death’s door. Susan found the perfect heart because 41 years later, that same heart is still going strong. Susan and her heart surpassed the current Guinness Book of World Records’ longest-surviving heart transplant of 39 years.
Susan stated, “I was at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital near death, when the doctor informed my family that I needed a heart transplant to live. The next day I was on an organ donor list. The doctors told my family if a heart wasn’t found soon, I would not survive. This is the first transplant I received and it’s still going 41 years later. I’m kind of like the that bunny that keeps on going, I don’t give up. God certainly gave me the right heart.”
In 2018, Dr. Deana Mikhalkova, MD FACC, picked up cardiologist Dr. Paul J. Hauptman’s practice at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, including his heart transplant patients. Susan was one of his patients and immediately it struck Dr. Mikhalkova that Susan was transplanted so long ago in 1983. Dr. Mikhalkova pointed out that transplants are a great advance in treatment, but they have their limitations, lasting for about 12 years. People reach the point that they need to be retransplanted.
Dr. Mikhalkova stated, “It really is remarkable that Susan has survived so long with the same heart and is as healthy as she is. She always has this attitude of being given a second chance and making the most of it. She recognizes the uniqueness of this transplant and how long she has lived. It really shows how well she is taking care of herself. It also speaks to the donor and the quality of the heart. Everything had to come together to make this happen.”
Susan is currently filling out the Guinness Book of World Records’ paperwork and filing with UNOS to make this transplant the official world’s longest-surviving heart transplant.
Susan kept clippings of newspaper stories as well as letters from SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital that reference her transplant. She compiled a scrapbook that features all these special stories.