12/04/2000

You Gotta Have Heart

Denver Broncos Quiz (1960- ): 1) Most passing yards in a
game? [Hint: 1962.] 2) Most pass receptions, career?
3) Most interceptions, career? 4) Who coached the Broncos to
the 1978 Super Bowl (1977 season)? Answers below.

Dr. Christiaan Barnard

CBS'' "Sunday Morning" program had a brief bit on the
anniversary of the world''s first heart transplant, 12/3/67. I must
say I panicked a bit because I had long planned on a retelling of
this story but their piece was all of about 30 seconds.

I was only 9 years of age back in ''67 but I remember being so
fascinated with the story from South Africa. And, when you
think back to those times, it is still truly amazing.

Christiaan Barnard was born back in 1922, the son of an
Afrikaner preacher. He went to medical school both in South
Africa as well as the University of Minnesota. When he settled
back in Cape Town, at Groote Schuur Hospital, he began
experimenting on heart transplantation, mostly with dogs.
By the fall of 1967, Barnard and his team were convinced that
they had performed enough research to try the procedure on a
human.

Of course, Barnard needed the perfect patient, as well as a donor.
The patient was Louis Washkansky, a 55-year-old with diabetes
and incurable heart disease. Washkansky was first told about 3
weeks before the transplant that Barnard thought he was a good
candidate. Years later, Barnard wrote of the decision that
Washkansky faced.

"For a dying man, it is not a difficult decision because he knows
he is at the end. If a lion chases you to the bank of a river filled
with crocodiles, you will leap into the water convinced you have
a chance to swim to the other side. But you would never accept
such odds if there were no lion."

Barnard also said at the time, in a matter of fact way, "We didn''t
see the heart as the seat of the soul. The cessation of the heart
did not mean the end of life. We knew that."

A few days before December 3rd a donor was found, but died
too soon for the operation to take place. Then, on the 2nd, a 24-
year-old by the name of Denise Darvall was brought to Groote
Schuur Hospital with massive injuries suffered in an auto
accident. It was clear she wasn''t going to live, yet most of her
vital organs were in good shape, particularly her heart and
kidneys. The blood and tissue types also matched what Barnard
needed.

But Barnard first needed approval from Darvall''s father. Poor
Mr. Darvall had also lost his wife in the same accident (she died
instantly). The father gave permission for the transplants
(Denise''s kidneys were transplanted into a 10-year-old at another
hospital nearby).

Darvall died and the doctors had to act fast, within 30 minutes of
her death, to transplant her heart into Washkansky. [This
occurred after midnight on the 3rd.]

A team of 20 surgeons and nurses took five hours to complete
the operation. Said one surgeon, "It was like watching a
bullfight. Certain classical maneuvers had to be done before the
grand finale."

Then came the moment of truth. Electrodes were applied to
Washkansky''s new heart and it resumed beating. Said a member
of the team, "It was like turning the ignition switch of a car."

At this moment Barnard was reported to have said, "It''s going to
work. I need a cup of tea."

Barnard also said, right after the operation that, "If it had not
been for (Washkansky''s) courage and will to live the operation
would never have succeeded."

But, one of the many amazing things about this historic moment
in time was that Barnard was so nonchalant he didn''t even take
pictures of the operation.

I read an account of the transplant in the December 4, 1967
edition of the New York Times. [Barnard wasn''t even
mentioned until about the 20th paragraph of the story.] A
spokesman for the hospital commented at the time.

"The longer Washkansky goes on, the better, although...the body
could decide in 5 or 10 years'' time that it doesn''t want this
heart." Washkansky, himself, was kept "dead quiet" in the
recovery room...no one said a word while he was being
monitored.

But, unfortunately, Washkansky didn''t live 5 or 10 years. He
died 18 days later from double pneumonia as a result of his
suppressed immune system; his courage and place in medical
history, however, well-established.

Of course, Washkansky''s death didn''t discourage Barnard and
his second heart transplant patient, Philip Blaiberg, lived for 18
months after his operation. Later on, another, Dirk van Zyl, lived
23 years before dying of diabetes - unrelated to his heart
condition.

As you might imagine, Christiaan Barnard became an instant
world celebrity, and the fame got to him. Initially, he enjoyed it
immensely, but it later wrecked his marriage and he shied away
from the limelight soon thereafter. Today, he lives on a 32,000-
acre sheep farm in the Karroo region of South Africa.

About 45,000 heart transplants have now been performed over
the last 33 years. 90% now survive the operation, with 70-75%
living for 5 years thereafter.

[Dr. Denton Cooley, one of those reviewing Dick Cheney''s heart
condition, by the way, was the first to perform a transplant in
America; 17 in 1968 alone, with his first patient living 204 days.]

Barnard predicts that human hearts will one day be grown
artificially to suit patients, using genetic engineering techniques
that can already produce human skin.

But he also has two regrets. Back in 1986 he endorsed an anti-
aging skin crFme of dubious effectiveness and, more importantly,
he didn''t fight harder against the policy of apartheid.

"I opposed it when I could. But I didn''t stick my neck out."

[Sources: New York Times, BBC, PBS]

Stuff

--The City of Buffalo has already used up its whole snow-
removal budget for the season as a result of November''s 25-inch
storm.

--Happy Birthday to Ulrich Inderbinen. This chap turns 100 this
week and the town of Zermatt, Switzerland is holding a week
long celebration for him. Ulrich, who grew up in the hills above
Zermatt, is a huge icon in these parts for his mountain climbing
exploits. It is reported that he climbed the Matterhorn, which
looms over the town, some 370 times! And his last ascent was at
age 90.

I was fortunate enough to be in Zermatt back in 1970 when, at
age 12, my brother (18 at the time) and I started climbing this
well-worn path up near where folks launch their expeditions for
the summit of the Matterhorn. It was pretty narrow and even
though it was summer, I remember it started to snow a bit.

Well, no sooner do we round this corner but a large herd of
goats suddenly impeded our way. It scared the heck out of us
since we had nowhere to go but over a cliff. Alas, pressed up
against the rock wall, the goats passed.and, duly shaken, we
followed them back into town. [Actually, that same trip my
brother and I were in a row boat in Norway, messing around in a
fjord, when a big steamer almost capsized us. Kids, don''t try this
at home, especially if your mother is watching from shore.]

--Speaking of traveling, I mentioned the following in a "Week in
Review" a few weeks ago but I came across another article on
the topic, that being "deep-vein thrombosis" and extended
airplane flights.

In all seriousness, it really is a growing problem. Betsy Wade
reported in the New York Times on a 3-year study conducted at
Heathrow Airport, which looked into the sudden deaths of 61
long-distance passengers. 11 died from blood clots, most likely
caused by pooling of the blood in the legs brought on by
prolonged inactivity and sitting.

The victims also tended to be women over 40 with a history of
deep-vein thrombosis, as well as women taking birth control
pills.

Vice President Dan Quayle was hospitalized in 1994, for what
doctors ascribed as clots for sitting too long on extended flights.
What happens is that a large blood clot in the leg breaks off and
migrates to the heart and lungs.

So it''s important to exercise and stretch during such flights. And
wear loose clothing...also no knee socks or socks with elastic
tops.

--NBA Dancers: Moving right along, Sports Illustrated had a bit
this week on the amount of money the girls get for shaking their
booty. For example, the Knicks City Dancers receive $150 per
game, with the Nets'' Power N''Motion (great, I might add)
getting $120. Others, like Portland''s BlazerDancers, receive as
little as $40.

But the big money is made through appearance fees, with, for
example, the Sixers Dance Team charging as much as $150 an
hour.

--College Football: Just another great game on Saturday night
from the Big 12 conference as my adopted team from Oklahoma
captured a spot in the national championship game by beating
Kansas State. But, for sheer drama, each year you always have
to make sure to catch at least the last quarter of the Army-Navy
game. Who cares about the team''s records?! It''s college
athletics at its finest. And Army was robbed on that offsides kick
call. [But I''m not taking sides, mind you!...mused the editor.
attempting to head off an avalanche of mail.]

Top 3 songs for the week of 12/7/63: #1 "Dominique" (The
Singing Nun...yes, again, my first 45. Ughh.) #2 "I''m Leaving
It Up To You" (Dale & Grace) #3 "Everybody" (Tommy Roe...
unbelievable. I swear, as I''m typing this, it is playing on my
Oldies station. What does it all mean!!!!!!!!)

Broncos Quiz Answers: 1) Most yards, game: Frank Tripucka,
447, 9/15/62. [Father of Kelly Tripucka, the b-ball star.
Tripucka is also one of only three Broncos to have his uniform #
retired...along with Elway and Floyd Little.] 2) Pass receptions,
career: Lionel Taylor, 543. Led the league in receptions 5 times.
Should be in the Hall of Fame. 3) Interceptions, career: Steve
Foley, 44. 4) Red Miller coached the Broncs to the ''78 Super
Bowl.they lost 27-10 to Dallas.

Finally, since I mentioned Floyd Little, his career stats were
6,323 yards rushing for a 3.9 avg. I was surprised to see he had
only one 1,000-yard season.

Next Bar Chat...Wednesday. So I''m listening to my Oldies
station the other day and Steven Van Zandt was a guest. He
brought along his own favorite ''60s music and made the
comment that Dave Clark (DC Five) "produced the most
powerful rock records;" quite a compliment. I did a piece on
one of my favorite groups over a year and a half ago. It''s time to
update the story.