China's longest living heart transplant recipient, a 52-year-old man from the northeastern Heilongjiang Province, died Saturday, more than 18 years after he received the surgery, doctors said Sunday.

Yang Yumin, born in 1958, died of multiple organ failures caused by chronic rejection and side effect of anti-rejection drugs, said Zhang Bin, president of the No. 2 Hospital Affiliated to Harbin Medical University.

Yang had been hospitalized for severe gout and subsequent kidney disease. His situation worsened and he suffered dysfunctions in the lungs and liver, said Yang.

Despite all-out rescue efforts by the best medical team in the province, Yang died Saturday, 18 years and eight months after his heart transplant.

Yang, formerly a butcher in Harbin, capital city of Heilongjiang, suffered a severe heart disease in 1991. His heart was three times the normal size and he was at constant risk of heart failure.

He received heart transplant in April 1992. The heart donor was a 23-year-old brain dead.

Yang recuperated well after the surgery. He got married and the couple ran a catering business at the hospital's canteen. Their daughter is now 17.

"Yang is an important person in China's medical history," said Dr. Zhang Bin. "His case has provided valuable experience and left behind a topic worthy of long-term exploration."