When was the first lung transplant performed?

The first human lung transplant was performed in 1963 by James Hardy at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The patient was a man with severe lung disease, and although he survived for only about 18 days, the operation showed that lung transplantation was possible. Early lung transplants were difficult because of rejection, infection, and surgical complications. Decades of improvement later made lung transplants a standard treatment in severe cases.