Surgeon suggests heart transplant programme

Press, 21 April 1984, Page 6

Surgeon suggests heart transplant programme

PA Auckland Heart transplants should be seriously considered in New Zealand on a small scale, says an eminent visiting American heart surgeon. Dr John Kirklin, professor

of surgery and director of the cardio-thoracic division of the University of Alabama, is in Auckland for a symposium of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. “Transplantation should be considered not because it is necessarily such a cureall, but because it may lead to something very much better than we now have,” he has said. “The whole field of organ transplantation is unsatisfactory because of .the rejection problems. Probably some day that will be better understood and controlled.” The cost-effectiveness of the operation at this stage might be questionable, he said, but it could benefit some patients. Dr Kirklin said the numbers of cases would have to be severely limited, probably to only six a year. Facilities could be shared with kidney transplant teams. New Zealand’s world famous heart surgeon, Sir Brian Barratt-Boyes, said the operation should not be introduced here at the moment. It is possible even six cases a year would not be available for transplant, and donor hearts were a problem, he said. “My feeling is the patients we have should be handled by Australia. I would not like to say strongly that I would disap-

prove of it. It is a decision for the Government because it would require funding. It is a question of priority. “At the moment, with the heavy backlog of cases for other forms of- heart surit would not be justi-