THE Scots nephew of the world’s longest-surviving heart transplant patient has paid tribute to his “inspirational” uncle, who has died at the age of 73.

John McCafferty, who was originally offrom Shotts in Lanarkshire, passed away on Tuesday, more than three decades after being told he had just five years to live.

Mr McCafferty underwent the life-saving operation carried out by world-renowned surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub at Harefield Hospital in Middlesex in 1982.

In 2013 the grandfather surpassed the previous survival record of 30 years, 11 months and 10 days, set by American Tony Huesman, who died in 2009.

His nephew Steven Paterson, 39- check -, from Larkhall, shared a unique bond with his uncle.

Steven, a hospital radiographer at Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride, also received a heart transplant seven years later in 1989, after developing the same deadly condition, dilated cardiomyopathy.

Steven became seriously unwell at the age of 12 after suffering a viral infection.

He was treated at Yorkhill, then transferred to London to be tissue matched for a transplant. Luckily for Steven A match was then found very quickly.

Steven said: “It wasn’t his heart that let him down, it was his kidneys. He was on dialysis and went into total kidney failure.

“He had been deteriorating quite rapidly over the past few months.

“The kidney failure was linked to the medication he was taking.

“For me, he was a bit of a pioneer. I know he was a good many years after the first transplant but it was still early in the history of transplantation.

“To have someone who had gone through, exactly what I had gone through, in the same hospital who was able to support me.

“He was a pillar of strength to my parents.

“After the transplant, he grasped life with both hands and he became a real activist for transplantation.”

Mr McCafferty’s wife Ann said: “The last 30 years we had together were brilliant. We’ve travelled the world.

“He took part in the transplant games and did so much. We wouldn’t have been able to do that without the transplant.”

Mr McCafferty, of Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, received his new heart on October 20 1982, after being diagnosed, aged 39, with dilated cardiomyopathy.

The condition leads to scarring of the heart wall and damage to the muscle, which causes the heart to become weakened and enlarged, preventing it from pumping efficiently.

After being presented with his Guinness World Record certificate in December 2013 at Harefield, where he continued to have treatment, he said: “I want this world record to be an inspiration to anyone awaiting a heart transplant and to those who, like me, have been fortunate enough to have had one. My advice is always to be hopeful, to look ahead with a positive mind, and, of course, to follow the expert medical advice.”

Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “We were very sad to hear about the passing of John McCafferty.

“Heart transplants offer the best chance of long term survival for critically ill heart failure patients to recover and lead a full life and it is fantastic to know that thanks to a transplant John was able to continue to live his life for another three decades.

“Unfortunately, This isn’t the case for many. There is an urgent need for people to register to become organ donors in the UK so we can provide hope to people like John.”