Adrian, 65, a keen cyclist, had been fit and well throughout his life until around 2004 when he began to experience breathlessness when exercising.
“It was getting harder to get up certain hills. I didn't take any notice of it but then I started getting a cough and other issues, so my wife, Mary, encouraged me to go to my GP.”
At the age of 50, Adrian was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a type of heart disease which makes it harder for blood to be pumped around the body. The next 15 years saw Adrian and his doctors manage with medication and a pacemaker before his condition deteriorated and he entered end-stage heart failure.
In October 2022, Adrian was admitted to hospital where he was put on a waiting list for a heart transplant. After a short wait, Adrian underwent a heart transplant in December 2022.
In the time between being admitted and having his transplant, Adrian was told about a research trial. The trial is testing a new way of protecting the organ when it is being transported from donor to recipient.
Instead of using ice to preserve the heart, it is connected to a machine which keeps the heart supplied with oxygen and nutrients.
This innovation could be one of the biggest changes to heart transplantation in more than 40 years.
Adrian said: “I was given a leaflet, which I read through. I thought it would help one way or another, so I was quite happy to sign up and contribute something to this research.”
Patients who sign up for the trial are randomised to 1 of 2 groups. This means the transplant heart has either been transported in the standard way or in the new way. It is not known which until the trial ends, but this did not deter Adrian from taking part.
“In fact, the first thing I said when I came off the anaesthetic was ‘I can breathe, breathing’s easy’, and it’s been working perfectly ever since!”
- Adrian
“If this process can help improve heart transplantation in the future, then we need to do these tests to find the proof.
"I'm very pleased to have done it and if it helps someone else's life, that's even better!”
How you can get involved with research
Sign up to Be Part of Research to be contacted about a range of health and care research. Or check out our full list of studies to see if one is right for you.
And if taking part in a study doesn’t feel right at the moment there are other ways to get involved in research.
