Heart transplantation in an 8-month-old girl. 10th anniversary report

Tex Heart Inst J. 1995;22(2):115-8.

Abstract

In 1984, Dr. Denton A. Cooley led a surgical team that implanted a cardiac allograft in an 8-month-old girl who had end-stage cardiac disease secondary to endocardial fibroelastosis. At that time, experience with cardiac transplantation in infants was limited, and the long-term effects of the procedure were cause for concern. Ten years later, our patient is a healthy 4th-grade student who enjoys a remarkably normal life. She has grown and developed quite satisfactorily, and her heart has enlarged in proportion to her overall somatic growth. Long-term immunosuppression has produced no adverse effects, and the child's medical problems have differed little from those of her peers. This landmark case has yielded preliminary answers to a number of important questions about cardiac transplantation in infants and has confirmed our original opinion that the procedure is well warranted in selected patients.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Child Development / physiology
  • Child, Preschool
  • Endocardial Fibroelastosis / surgery*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Heart / growth & development
  • Heart / physiopathology
  • Heart Transplantation / physiology*
  • Hemodynamics / physiology
  • Humans
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / therapeutic use
  • Infant
  • Postoperative Complications / etiology
  • Postoperative Complications / therapy

Substances

  • Immunosuppressive Agents