title: The historical odyssey of cardiac transplantation.
abstract: Often taken for granted, the journey leading to the therapeutic reality of cardiac transplantation was paved by many obstacles and a myriad of successes rooted primarily in the basic principle of perseverance. One cannot pretend to understand the sensational evolution of cardiac transplantation without a look back at the historical accomplishments concurrently achieved across a variety of disparate disciplines in medicine, surgery, and immunology that heralded contemporary outcomes. This historical review will delineate landmark events in the field of cardiac transplantation, a procedure once considered a "fantastic speculation for the future."
authors.forename: Hector O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.forename: Mandeep R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Mehra
mesh_terms: D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D016572:Cyclosporine