Baby Fae

Stephanie Fae Beauclair, become known under the name Baby Fae ( born October 14, 1984, † 15 November 1984), was a prominent recipient of xenotransplantation. Her case sparked a broad and partly still ongoing debate about medical ethics.

Case history

Baby Fae was with a heavy heart defect ( Hypoplastic left heart syndrome ) born and after damaligem state of medicine no chance of survival. The surgeon Leonard Bailey ( * 1942 ) from the Loma Linda University in Loma Linda near Los Angeles who conducted research in the field of xenotransplantation, suggested the girl to transplant a baboon heart. He speculated thereby, inter alia, that as the intrauterine immune tolerance shortly after birth might be enough strong to prevent rejection reaction.

In technical terms, the operation was a success. Bailey, who decreed in the field of transplantation medicine many years of experience could transplant the heart on October 26, 1984 successful, and his performance was enough to maintain the blood circulation. However, the rejection was stronger than expected by Bailey and Baby Fae died twenty days following the operation on immune-mediated destruction of the transplanted heart.

The case in the medical- ethical context

Baby Fae was neither the first nor the last case of xenotransplantation baboon man. His ethical significance owes the case on the one hand the general ethical problems of xenotransplantation, but on the other hand the state of research on the acquisition of immunocompetence, which had a lethal rejection appear as extremely probable, and was simply ignored by Bailey. In later issues, which is why he ( as opposed to a chimpanzee ) selected a evolutionarily relatively far away from human primates as donors, Bailey said also that he does not believe in the theory of evolution.

The case is now widely cited as an example of inadequate ethical review, by an ambitious surgeon could perform an in principle superfluous man attempt, which prolonged the suffering of the patient by a few days without being able thereby to avert certain death.

Credentials

  • Bailey L. et al. (1985 ): Baboon -to -human cardiac xenotransplantation in a neonate. JAMA 254 (23 ) :3321 - ninth PMID 2933538
  • Bailey L. et al. (1986 ): Method of heart transplantation for treatment of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 92 ( 1) :1- fifth PMID 3523049
  • Hubbard LL. (1987 ): The Baby Fae Case. Med Law 6 (5) :385-96 PMID 3309521
  • McCormick RA ( 1985): Was there any real hope for Baby Fae? The Hastings Center Report 15 ( 1) :12 -13 doi: 10.2307/3561909
November 15 Loma Linda, California JAMA (journal) Digital Object Identifier
95709
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