Lack Of Facilities For Transplants

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31772, 31 August 1968, Page 14

Lack Of Facilities For Transplants

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, August 30.

The lack of hospital facilities was the reason why no further heart transplant had been attempted in Cape Town since Dr Philip Blaiberg was given a new heart, Professor R., Palmer, professor of radiology at Cape Town University, said in Auckland today.

He was the radiologist in Professor Christiaan Barnard’s team which performed the world’s first heart transplant on Mr Louis Washkansky, and in the Blaiberg operation.

He and his wife will leave Auckland today after a brief holiday before he takes up a new post as professor of radiology at Pennsylvania University, Philadelphia. “New facilities are being built at Groote Schur Hospital, but up to now we’ve had only one suite of rooms for the very important post-oper-ative care needed in heart transplants,” said Professor Palmer.

“We discussed fully if it was right to hold back in this way but we agreed that Dr Blaiberg’s chances should not be compromised by doing another operation and blocking the use of that suite to him. “That is the only reason another operation has not been done. Two other surgeons in the team could do the transplant—Dr Barnard has in fact urged them to do it—and the team would support them." Such operations were not justified without proper facilities for post-operative care, which was as important as the dramatic hour or two In the theatre. In the next six months more rooms would become available and trans-

plants would be done again. Professor Palmer said extensive X-rays were needed before and after heart transplants and this had been his responsibility. The strict.

sterile conditions presented difficulty. Technicians had to be tested for infection and the X-ray films had to be kept in sterile wrappings.