Former UAB patient longest survivor of double heart valve replacement

A patient who received a double heart valve replacement at the University of Alabama in Birmingham on Oct. 2, 1990, was recently named the Guinness World Record holder for the longest survivor of the procedure.

Seth Wharton, 44, of LaVale, Md., received the transplant when he was 13, according to an April 18 press release. His heart problems began when he was four days old after physicians discovered he had an enlarged heart. He has had three open-heart surgeries and six cardiac catheterizations in addition to the double valve replacement. 

"To live this long after a double heart-valve replacement is a remarkable outcome for Mr. Wharton," said James Davies, MD, director of the UAB Cardiovascular Institute and the division of cardiothoracic surgery. "Cases like Mr. Wharton's are the reason our cardiothoracic surgeons work to provide the best possible care to each of our patients. We are happy to hear that he is doing well."

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