(Scientists in New Orleans iave been carrying on extensive research in their never-ending battle against the na-tion's No, 1 disease-killer, heart trouble. This is the first in a series of articles describing their progress and the methods of medical research employed. The research is being financed by both the Louisiana Heart Association and the American Heart Association.) To the lay public some of the accomplishments of modern-day heart surgery seem little short of miraculous.
This is particularly true when a baby, who has stopped breathing, is successfully resuscitated through emergency surgery.
To the competent heart surgeon, this is just part of the day's work. But to the baby's parents, it's something to talk about for many a moon. Hadn't their little Johnny quit breathing?
Dr. Harold M. Albert, associate professor of surgery at the LSU medical school said it's hard to tell any more if a person is actually dead.
'Never Sure'
"I'm never quite sure," he added. "It used to be when a person's heart stopped beating that person was dead. This is no longer true, Particularly during surgery."
Dr. Albert said a surgeon may deliberately stop a heart-beat aft-1 er the heart-lung machine has taken over.
"In cases where the heart stops beating of its own accord, I give cardiac massage and rush the patient to the operating room," he added. "Once in surgery, we can open ujj the patient's ches| and apply massage more directly to the outside of the heart."
The surgeon said alter a human heart stops beating, chances of resuscitation are remote."What you don't hear about are the patients we couldn't revive/' he added.Many Are Saved
Despite this modest disclaimer, Dr. Albert and his coworkers have saved many infants with their emergency surgery. Statistics show there has been an 80 per cent survival rate with babies who had more or less been, given up for dead. Statistics also! show that about 75 per cent of the babies, born with congenital heart lesions, die within the first year of life if not properly treated.
Equally as important as Dr. Albert's emergency surgery is the idea he conceived for an operation to correct a defect involving transposition of the great vessels.
This operation may prove a Godsend to persons born with hearts so deformed all the great vessels are in the wrong places.
The idea, originated by ur. ai->ert, was subsequently modified ind refined by a Swedish surgeon md the operation is in general jse today.
In order to understand the need for such surgery it is important to. have a clear picture in your mind of the anatomy of the human heart.
Normal Heart Cited
"Normally the pulmonary arteries extend from the lower right hand chamber of the heart," Dr. Albert explained. '"From this lower right hand chamber they carry blood into the lungs to be purified."
The surgeon said after the blood has been purified, it is carried back into the heart by means of pulmonary veins which enter the left side of the heart. The blood is then pumped into the body through the aorta, which is also on the left side of the heart— I So much for the nognaljieart-In some people, however, the heart is far from normal and the big vessels are all in the wrong places.
To begin with the aorta is misplaced. Instead of extending from 'he left ventricle of the heart, it extends from the right ventricle, ;n such a situation, blood from ;he right ventricle comes back to :he right side of 'the heart and is pumped out through the body without going to the lungs to be purified.
Simultaneously blood in the left ventricle is being pumped out to the lungs and returns to the left side of the heart.
Separate Circles
"We now have a situation in which the blood is going in twc separate cirlces instead of om complete circle," Dr. Albert explained. "As a result, blow from one side of the heart is no
oxygenated blood is reaching the body. A person can't keep on living in such a situation."
Dr. Albert said the main problem confronting the surgeon is to get a mixture of blood from both sides of the heart "so that some oxygenated blood will be able to reach the body."
"In an emergency we remove | the wall between the two upper chambers of the heart so that blood from both sides will get a chance to mix," he explained.
The surgeon said in order to repair the defect permanently, full corrective surgery is needal, First the patient is placed on the heart - lung machine," he said. "Then the pulmonary vein* are shunted so that they enter the right instead of tine left side of the heart, Next veins from the .body are shunted so they enter the left instead of the right side of the heart." PHOTO: A week ago Karen Tull was a very sick "blue baby." Without emergency heart surgery she wouldn't have lasted more than a couple of weeks. Today Karen, who is eight weeks old, looks fine and her skin is no long-er blue, But, according to Dr, Harold M. Albert, who performed the operation, addi*
tional surgery is needed, For Karen wa§ born with a deformed heart and must un« dergo an operation to correct a defect in» voMng transposition of the great vessels, la photo with Karen are Dr, Albert and Mrs, S. A, Casente, a pediatric nurse in one of the children's wards of Charity hospital.
