Medical miracle: 50 years since first heart transplant - Inside Story

This week marks a significant milestone in experimental surgery - one that would be cheered, and debated, and forever talked about. 50 years ago, South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard successfully performed the first human-to-human heart transplant. Since then, thousands of lives have been saved by this groundbreaking technology, mostly in developed nations. Five decades later, nearly four thousand people have the surgery each year, with an average wait time of about 191 days. So, How far have we come since that medical milestone? And what beating heart technology will help shape the future? Presenter: Laura Kyle Guests: Dr. Stephen Westaby - Professor, Royal Brompton Hospital, Imperial College. Dr. Olivia Gilbert - Assistant Professor at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. James Styan - Author of the book ‘Heartbreaker: Chrstiaan Barnard and the first Heart Transplant'. Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe Follow us on Twitter:   / ajenglish   Find us on Facebook:   / aljazeera   Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/