THE 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 from 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 heart transplant survival record of 30 years, 11 months and 10 days, set by American Tony Huesman, who died in 2009.

His nephew Steven Paterson, 39, from Larkhall, shared a unique bond with his uncle, having also received a heart transplant.

Mr Paterson, a hospital radiographer at Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride, underwent the operation seven years after his uncle, in 1989, after developing the same deadly condition, dilated cardiomyopathy.

Speaking about his uncle, Mr Paterson 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. 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, who lived in 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.”

Mr McCafferty's wife Ann told the BBC yesterday: "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 Paterson had previously joined his uncle in supporting a campaign run by our sister paper, the Evening Times, for an opt-out system of organ donation.

A member's bill was voted down at Holyrood earlier this week, with the Scottish Government announcing it would launch its own consultation on further methods to increase organ donations and transplants.

Speaking in 2012, Mr McCafferty said: "When I look upon the faces of those parents of children awaiting a donor organ, praying that a donor will come along to save their child and give them a second chance of life; when I look upon the worried face of that husband or wife also awaiting a donor, then I know, whatever the cost, the type of organ donor scheme which the country is crying out for, is that of opt-out."

Last night, Mr Paterson added: "To me it's a no brainier. If it's automatic, it gives you a chance to think about it and if it's not for you, you can't opt out."

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.”