Iron Heart

Science 52' 2017 HD

At the age of 38 Elmar Sprink's heart suddenly stopped. Resuscitation, intensive care unit and the life-saving heart transplant. On average, a heart transplant beats for 10 years. Elmar is making every effort to extend this period. He trained hard and took part in an IRONMAN competition already one year after the surgery. A medical sensation: New nerve cells grow around the foreign organ - a phenomenon that's never been observed in an adult heart recipient. The film will meet leading cardiac specialists and scientists. It will not only tell Elmar's extraordinary fate, but also show how treatment methods for severe cardiac diseases are currently developing and what medical advances can be expected in the near future. The film combines the emotional story of Sprink's survival with the search for promising scientific methods.