Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Case Study

Baby Fae Case Study

On October 14, 1984, Baby Fae was born two weeks premature, with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (a condition that at the time was 100 percent fatal). Baby Fae’s mother, Teresa Beauclair, was presented with two options; keep the child in the hospital or take the child home. Teresa opted to take the child home, and was preparing to go through the dying process until Dr. Leonard Bailey presented her with a third option. The highly experimental surgery involved replacing Baby Fae’s heart with that of a baboon. Dr. Bailey had been investigating the possibility of cross-species transplantation and discussed his research with Teresa, gaining her consent to the operation. As you can image, the medical procedure was publicized across the United States and animal rights activists were outraged and protested.

While initially, the operation appeared to be successful, Baby Fae’s organs started to fail, leading to her death 21 days after the transplant surgery was performed. In announcing her death at a press conference, Dr. Bailey stated, “Infants with heart disease yet to be born will someday soon have the opportunity to live, thanks to the courage of this infant and her parents.” One year later, the first human to human heart transplant was performed in a child. Dr. Bailey credits the success, in part, to the information and experience that was gained by performing the xenotransplant (Cross-species) procedure.

Address the following questions:

1. What is your initial reaction to this case? What ethical concerns does this case bring up in relation to: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, fidelity, and justice? Explain and give specific examples.
2. The study of animal research has led to many advances in diabetes, cancer, neurological conditions, and cardiac. Currently, pig and bovine valves are still used in heart surgeries. Do you feel research on animals is necessary in the medical field? Explain your answer.
3. If you were caring for baby Fae, how could the following information effect your interaction with the parents, and possible care of the child? Do you feel information about the family: their past, current status, and criminal record, should be publicized or shared? Explain your answers