Infant Who Received Heart Transplant Dies

An 8-week-old girl who last week had been given the heart of another infant died early Saturday, Loma Linda University Medical Center announced.

“Her new little heart was not able to sustain an adequate blood presure, despite maximum support measures,� hospital spokeswoman Anita Rockwell said.

Baby Kari, of Saskatoon, Canada, died four days after receiving a new heart in a four-hour operation performed by Dr. Leonard Bailey, chief of pediatric cardiac surgery. The baby was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition in which the side of the heart which pumps blood fails to develop.

Waited 7 Weeks

The child, whose parents are identified only as Ken, a corrections officer, and Linda, a registered nurse, brought her to Loma Linda soon after she was born. But the newborn had to wait seven weeks until a donor heart could be obtained. No information about the donor was released.

Four of Bailey’s six previous infant heart transplant patients are still living. The longest survivor is Nicholas Anguiano, nicknamed Baby Moses, who celebrated the one-year anniversary of his transplant at a party at Loma Linda last month. Attending the party were Baby Eve, Baby Jesse and Baby Rachel. In 1984, Bailey performed a baboon-to-human heart transplant for Baby Fae, who died 20 days after the surgery.

“Baby Kari and her parents touched the lives of medical center staff and we share in the family’s great sense of loss,� Rockwell said. “The parents wish to express their appreciation for the prayers and support offered by many people.�