This list of notable organ transplant donors and recipients includes people who were the first to undergo certain organ transplant procedures, or who made significant contributions to their chosen field, and who have either donated or received an organ transplant at some point in their lives, as confirmed by public information.

The list in this article can give the impression that disease can only be solved in ~35 (see list below) of the ~90 organs in the human body (see List of organs of the human body). Thinking of whole organ transplant as the only commonly used method of transplantation against disease is incorrect, as often only a part of the organ (tissue) is transplanted. A few examples are:

Hematopoietic stem cell / bone marrow transplant for leukemia Corneal epithelial (limbal stem cell) transplantation against, against severe ocular‑surface disorders Islet of Langerhans transplantation against Type 1 diabetes mellitus

Survival statistics Survival statistics depend greatly on the age of donor, age of recipient, skill of the transplant center, compliance of the recipient, whether the organ came from a living or deceased donor and overall health of the recipient. Median survival rates can be quite misleading, especially for the relatively small sample that is available for these organs. Survival rates improve almost yearly, due to improved techniques and medications. This example is from the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS), the USA umbrella organization for transplant centers. Up-to-date data can be obtained from the UNOS website.

Transplant Type Median survival Liver transplant 16 years Heart transplant10 years Kidney transplant16 years

Notable first procedures

Suggestion for how the Original lists could be formatted into 1 + Notable Early and First Transplant Procedures (Almost Chronologically Sorted) No. Procedure Doctor in charge of transplant Name of recipient Organ donated by Comments Date of transplant Country where the operation took place Survival / outcome Reference 20 Esophagus reconstruction (autologous) Dr. Dan Gavriliu Unnamed Autologous (patient's stomach) First use of stomach to reconstruct esophagus 1951-04-20 Survived Dan Gavriliu 26 Hair transplant (punch graft technique) Dr. Norman Orentreich Unnamed male Autologous (own scalp) First modern hair transplant; technique still in use 1952-01-01 Permanent hair growth 3 First human kidney transplant Joseph Murray Richard Herrick Ronald Herrick (twin brother) — 1954-12-23USA Approx. 8 years 22 Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) Dr. Ben Eiseman Unnamed (4 patients) Healthy donor stool Used to treat pseudomembranous colitis 1958-01-01 Symptoms resolved 4 First human liver transplant Thomas Starzl — — First transplant was unsuccessful; the first successful liver transplant was performed four years later 1963-01-01USA — 5 First human lung transplant James D. Hardy — — First transplant was unsuccessful; first successful lung transplant was in 1983 by Joel Cooper 1963-01-01 — 9 First human pancreas transplant Richard Lillehei and William Kelly Anonymous young woman — Patient survived ~4.5 months; died of lung infection 1966-12-16USA ~4.5 months 6 First human heart transplant Christiaan Barnard Louis Washkansky Denise Darvall Washkansky survived only 18 days 1967-12-03 18 days 16 Larynx transplant Dr. Marshall Strome Tim Heidler Deceased donor First larynx transplant with speech recovery 1998-01-01 Yes 8 First human hand transplant Earl Owen and Jean-Michel Dubernard Clint Hallam — Hand was removed by request of recipient after ~2.5 years 1998-09-23 — 21 Esophagus transplant (experimental) Dr. Francisco T. A. Leite et al. Unnamed Deceased donor / synthetic scaffold Experimental in early 2000s; not standard ~2003–2011 Short-term survival NIH 10 First partial human face transplant Jean-Michel Dubernard and Bernard Devauchelle Isabelle Dinoire — Body rejected parts of the graft; died due to complications and cancer 2005-11-27 10 years 18 Full face transplant Dr. Joan Pere Barret Óscar (surname withheld) Deceased donor First full face transplant (previous were partial) 2010-03-01 Yes 23 Gut microbiota transplant (approved therapy) Various (clinical trials) Various Healthy donor stool Became FDA-approved for C. difficile 2013-01-01 Cure rate 80–90% FDA 14 Uterus transplant (live birth) Dr. Mats Brännström Unnamed Living donor First successful live birth after uterus transplant 2014-01-01 Yes 12 First human penis transplant — 21-year-old male — Performed after amputation due to circumcision complications 2014-12-01 — 15 Penis + Scrotum + Abdominal Wall Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee (Johns Hopkins) Unnamed US veteran Deceased donor First transplant including external genitalia and abdominal wall 2018-01-01 Yes 17 Trachea transplant Dr. Eric Genden Sonia Sein Cadaveric donor First long-segment trachea transplant 2021-01-01 Yes 24 Synthetic/defined bacterial therapy Finch, Seres Therapeutics Various Lab-grown bacteria First FDA-approved microbiome therapy (Rebyota, Vowst) 2023-01-01 Approved (ongoing monitoring) FDA 13 First xenotransplant (human heart from pig) — David Bennett Sr. Genetically modified pig First gene-edited pig heart to human; patient died ~2 months later 2024-01-01 2 months 7 First heart and lung transplant — Brenda Barber — UK's first successful heart-lung transplant 1984 10 years 19 Small intestine (bowel) transplant Dr. Rainer W. G. Gruessner Unnamed Deceased donor First successful small bowel transplant 1988, Germany Yes 11 First transplant of a human organ grown from adult stem cells — — First stem cell-derived organ transplant — 27 Veins — — — — 2000s — 28 Thyroid Patient with autoimmune adrenal insufficiency + diabetes Deceased donor, adrenal graft en bloc with kidney First reported simultaneous kidney–adrenal gland–pancreas transplantation (i.e., adrenal graft as part of composite) — 2013 (report published) — 29 Adreanal gland Dr. Rainer W.G. Gruessner — — — — — 29 Spleen Dr. Tomoaki Kato and Dr. Andreas Tzakis — — — — — 30 Bladder Dr. Nima Nassiri and Dr. Inderbir Gill Oscar Larrainzar — First-in-human bladder transplant. Procedure was part of a UCLA clinical trial. May 4, 2025 — 31 Arterie — — — — 2000s — 32 Nerves — — — — — — 33Tongue 34Teeth

AOriginal lists ProcedureDoctor in charge of transplantName of recipientOrgan donated by CommentsDate of transplantSurvivalReferenceNasal reconstruction (forehead flap)Sushruta (ancient India)UnnamedAutologous tissue (forehead skin and flap)Very early documented reconstruction using skin and tissue transfer; not a modern graft with blood supply restorationEstimated ~1500–1000 BCN/A (historical)Various historical texts including Sushruta Samhita First corneal transplant Eduard Zirm Alois Glogar Karl Brauer December 7, 1905 First human kidney transplant Joseph Murray Richard Herrick Ronald Herrick (twin brother) December 23, 1954 Approx. 8 years Finucane, Martin. "World's first organ donor dies at 79". Boston.com. December 29, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2010. First human liver transplant Thomas Starzl First transplant was unsuccessful. The first successful liver transplant was performed by Starzl four years later.1963National Kidney Foundation Milestones in Organ Transplantation First human lung transplant James D. Hardy First transplant was unsuccessful. The first successful lung transplant was performed in 1983 by Joel Cooper.1963 First human heart transplant Christiaan Barnard Louis Washkansky Denise Darvall Transplant was only good for 18 days. Washkansky died on December 21, 1967. December 3, 1967 18 daysTerplan, Martin. Centenary of first successful human transplant (PDF). BMJ 2005;331;891- Retrieved on December 28, 2006.First Heart and Lung TransplantBrenda Barber1984 - UK's first successful heart and lung transplant198410 years First human hand transplant Earl Owen and Jean-Michel Dubernard Clint Hallam The transplanted hand was removed at request of recipient after about two and a half years on February 2, 2001. September 23, 1998Surgeons sever transplant hand. BBC News (February 3, 2001). Retrieved on December 28, 2006. First human pancreas transplant Richard Lillehei and William Kelly Anonymous "young woman" Patient survived for months and died in May 1967 of a lung infection and pneumonia. December 16, 1966"History of pancreas transplantation", by Dr. David E. R. Sutherland and Dr. Carl G. Groth, in Pancreas, Islet and Stem Cell Transplantation for Diabetes (Oxford University Press, 2010) p1"Both Kidney and Pancreas Transplanted Into Woman", Corpus Christi (TX) Caller-Times, March 1, 1967, p2"Transplant Success", UPI report in The Raleigh Register (Beckley, WV), May 31, 1967, p3 First partial human face transplant Jean-Michel Dubernard and Bernard Devauchelle Isabelle DinoireDinoire's body rejected the transplant in 2015 and she lost part of the use of her lips. The daily immunosuppressive drugs she was required to take left her vulnerable to cancer which later claimed her life.November 27, 200510 yearsWoman has first face transplant. BBC News (November 30, 2005). Retrieved on December 28, 2006.First transplant of a human organ grown from adult stem cells First human penis transplant Transplant was done to a 21-year-old male with penis amputation due to problem of circumcision before. December 2014 First Human Heart Transplant with non human heart/XenoTransplantationDavid Bennett Sr.Genetically modified pig. Done At Maryland University Medical School. January 20242 months ProcedureDoctor in charge of transplantName of recipientOrgan donated byCommentsDate of transplantSurvivalReferenceUterusDr. Mats BrännströmUnnamedLiving donorFirst live birth after uterus transplant2014, SwedenYeshttps://www.gu.se/en/news/worlds-first-child-born-after-uterus-transplantationPenis + Scrotum + Abdominal WallDr. W.P. Andrew Lee (Johns Hopkins)Unnamed U.S. veteranDeceased donorFirst extensive transplant including genitalia and lower abdominal wall (scrotum transplanted, no testicles to avoid donor DNA)2018, Johns Hopkins (USA)Yeshttps://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/johns-hopkins-performs-first-total-penis-and-scrotum-transplant-in-the-worldLarynxDr. Marshall StromeTim HeidlerDeceased donorFirst successful human larynx transplant with speech recovery1998, Cleveland Clinic, USAYeshttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02714347TracheaDr. Eric GendenSonia SeinCadaveric donorFirst long-segment trachea transplant using cadaveric donor segment2021, Mount Sinai, USAYeshttps://www.anesthesiologynews.com/Clinical-Anesthesiology/Article/05-21/Mount-Sinai-Team-Performs-First-Successful-Trachea-Transplant/63367Full FaceDr. Joan Pere BarretÓscar (surname withheld)Deceased donorFirst full face transplant (previous were partial)March 2010, Barcelona, SpainYeshttps://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-full-face-transplantSmall Intestine (Bowel)Dr. Rainer W. G. GruessnerUnnamedDeceased donorFirst successful small bowel transplant1988, Kiel, GermanyYeshttps://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/873619