The first successful human heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in 1967. He pioneered the surgical technique of removing a failing heart and replacing it with a donor heart while maintaining precise vascular anastomoses to restore circulation. The surgery demonstrated that a human heart could be successfully transplanted and function in a recipient, marking a breakthrough in cardiovascular surgery. This procedure laid the foundation for modern heart transplantation and immunosuppressive therapy.

Reference: Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, Douglas L. Mann et al., 12th Edition.