Papworth Hospital - An amazing shed in a field

Towards the end of 2014 I received a heart transplant at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. At the moment things are going well. Papworth is an awe inspiring place. They kept me going for years whilst I suffered from heart failure and when things became critical kept me alive via machines whilst I waited for a transplant.

They have helped many thousands of others in many thousands of ways and it all takes place in what started out as basically a shed in a field in the middle of nowhere in Cambridgeshire. It's now quite a few sheds that have grown up in a haphazard way over the decades. It somehow seems a peculiarly British approach.

Whilst in more recent years Papworth Hospital is more associated with clinical excellence in the delivery of cardiothoracic services most notably heart and lung transplantation, its history is rather unique.

Timeline

1918 Papworth is founded as a colony for people with Tuberculosis - a ground-breaking place which becomes famous for its treatments and for helping people to return to work after convalescence
1948 Papworth becomes part of the newly founded NHS
1962 Papworth performs the first artificial heart valve operation on a patient
1967 First cardiac pacemaker procedure carried out
1979 UK’s first successful heart transplant operation takes place at Papworth Hospital
1982 Papworth starts coronary angioplasty procedures
1984 Europe’s first successful heart-lung transplant is performed at Papworth Hospital; and first in the world for the chronic use of Prostacyclin for the treatment of primary pulmonary hypertension in humans
1985 World’s first transbronchial biopsy is undertaken to detect rejection in lung transplants
1986 World’s first heart, lung and liver transplant takes place at Papworth Hospital
1988 Papworth’s first single lung transplant
1991 First implantable defibrillator procedure carried out at Papworth; and first in the world for the application of Nitric Oxide in humans for patients with primary and secondary pulmonary hypertension; Papworth’s first bilateral lung transplant
1992 Papworth’s first Ventricular Assist Device operation; Papworth’s Respiratory Support and Sleep Centre opens
1994 Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre opens
1996 Papworth carries out its 1000th transplant
2001 UK National Centre for Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy surgery established
2006 Papworth performs the UK’s first beating heart transplant, using the Organ Care System
2010 First subcutaneous implantable cardiac defibrillator at Papworth
2011 The UK’s first Total Artificial Heart patient discharged home

At present there are over 1800 people employed by Papworth.


All the modern day facts and figures on Papworth can be found here. They are soon, in theory, to be moving to a site near Addenbrookes hospital just outside Cambridge which is also where a lot of medical research takes place.

On the health front I owe many things to many people. I owe Papworth my life.



You can support Papworth by donating via their charitable trust.