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From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Baboon heart in a Human!
Message-ID: <5579@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 2-Nov-84 10:58:17 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.5579
Posted: Fri Nov  2 10:58:17 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 4-Nov-84 05:10:20 EST
References: <290@pecosdg.UUCP>
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Organization: Ballistic Research Lab
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In the news coverage of this item, I haven't heard the answer to the
following question:

Assuming the subject lives, is this baboon heart supposed to last a full
normal lifetime, as the child grows to adulthood, or is it planned to
subsequently replace this heart with another (either human or artificial)
at some future point? If so, when? Would the baboon heart have the capacity
to support an adult human body? What about its normal lifespan, which I 
believe is some fraction of the average human lifetime? Wouldn't it simply
wear out if not replaced after some number of years?

In other words, is this an explicitly temporary or stopgap measure?

Will