Philip Blaiberg
Encyclopedia
Philip Blaiberg was a Jewish South Africa
n dentist
and the second person to receive a heart transplant. On January 2, 1968, in Cape Town
, Dr. Christiaan Barnard
performed the third heart transplant in the world on the fifty-nine year-old Blaiberg (Dr Adrian Kantrowitz
performed the world's second heart transplant, on a baby in the USA, only three days after Dr Barnard performed the first). Blaiberg survived the operation, and continued with his life for nineteen months and fifteen days before dying from heart complications on August 17, 1969. The success of Blaiberg's heart transplant spiraled the progress made in regard to heart transplantation.
. After completing his dentistry studies in London, Blaiberg returned to Cape Town and opened up his dentistry practice. In World War II
, Blaiberg joined the South African Army
Medical Corps and served as the dental unit in Ethiopia
and Italy
.
At the age of forty-five, in 1954, Blaiberg suffered his first heart attack
. He subsequently closed his dental practice, and retired to Cape Town. In March 1967, Blaiberg's heart
failed, and it appeared that he was dying. The world's first human heart transplant operation was performed months later, on December 3. With the assistance of his brother, Marius, and thirty other people, Dr. Christiaan Barnard
performed the nine-hour operation on Louis Washkansky
, a 55-year-old man suffering from diabetes and heart disease
. With the transplanted heart from Denise Darvall
, a victim of a road accident, Washkansky was able to survive the operation and lived for a period of eighteen days before dying of pneumonia
. On January 2, 1968, Blaiberg became the second person to successfully undergo a heart transplant. Blaiberg received the heart from 24-year-old Clive Haupt, a coloured
man who had collapsed on a Cape Town beach the day before. That the identity of the heart donor had been released led to much heated controversy in South Africa. In the times of the apartheid, there was heated debate about the racism that existed in the country. Some even went on to say:
Blaiberg had a smooth recovery after the successful heart transplant. Days after his operation, he was in good spirits, and had had no serious complications from the transplant. The team of doctors led by Barnard were able to treat him for the minor problems that occurred, and the doctors reduced his dosage of immunosuppressive drugs. Less than three months after the heart transplant operation, he was able to drive his car. Blaiberg was able to return to his normal lifestyle after the transplant, and as his wife said Philip "was running around like a machine".
In June 1968, Blaiberg contracted hepatitis while undergoing routine tests in South Africa's Groote Schuur Hospital. Emergency treatment kept him alive, but Blaiberg suffered some long-term complications from the transplant, and he died of chronic organ rejection on August 17, 1969. Blaiberg's autopsy showed severe and widespread coronary artery disease, a precursor to atherosclerosis
. Barnard said "eventually the chronic rejection had damaged the heart to such an extent that it failed." But he added, "I'd would like to point you that I don’t think we should be discouraged and throw up our arms and say that this is now the end, because we have now operated on five patients. And the total days of survival so far of these five -- five patients has been 1,001 days. I think that gives you a -- an average survival of 200 days."
The success of Blaiberg's transplant led to an immediate increase in the number of doctors performing heart transplants around the world. By the end of August 1968, 34 heart transplants had been performed, and by December 1968, 100 hearts had been transplanted into 98 patients. Heart transplant surgery has now become a standard procedure. It had been done about 100,000 times as of 2001 and was carried out on about 2,100 patients in 160 hospitals in the U.S. in 2001, with a one-year success rate of 85-90% and a five-year success rate of 75%.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
and the second person to receive a heart transplant. On January 2, 1968, in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, Dr. Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Neethling Barnard was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first successful human-to-human heart transplant.- Early life :...
performed the third heart transplant in the world on the fifty-nine year-old Blaiberg (Dr Adrian Kantrowitz
Adrian Kantrowitz
Adrian Kantrowitz was an American cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first pediatric heart transplant at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn on December 6, 1967...
performed the world's second heart transplant, on a baby in the USA, only three days after Dr Barnard performed the first). Blaiberg survived the operation, and continued with his life for nineteen months and fifteen days before dying from heart complications on August 17, 1969. The success of Blaiberg's heart transplant spiraled the progress made in regard to heart transplantation.
Biography
Blaiberg was born in the small town of UniondaleUniondale, Western Cape
Uniondale is a small town in the Little Karoo in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The town was formed in 1856 by the joining of two towns, Hopedale and Lyons. Its primary claim to fame is the ghost story of the Uniondale hitcher...
. After completing his dentistry studies in London, Blaiberg returned to Cape Town and opened up his dentistry practice. In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Blaiberg joined the South African Army
South African Army
The South African Army is the army of South Africa, first formed after the Union of South Africa was created in 1910.The South African military evolved within the tradition of frontier warfare fought by commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical distrust of large standing armies...
Medical Corps and served as the dental unit in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
At the age of forty-five, in 1954, Blaiberg suffered his first heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. He subsequently closed his dental practice, and retired to Cape Town. In March 1967, Blaiberg's heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
failed, and it appeared that he was dying. The world's first human heart transplant operation was performed months later, on December 3. With the assistance of his brother, Marius, and thirty other people, Dr. Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Neethling Barnard was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first successful human-to-human heart transplant.- Early life :...
performed the nine-hour operation on Louis Washkansky
Louis Washkansky
Louis Washkansky was the recipient of the world's first human heart transplant.-Biography:Washkansky was a Lithuanian Jew who migrated with his friends to South Africa in 1922, aged nine, and became a grocer in Cape Town. Washkansky saw active service in World War II in East and North Africa and...
, a 55-year-old man suffering from diabetes and heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
. With the transplanted heart from Denise Darvall
Denise Darvall
Denise Ann Darvall was the donor in the world’s first successful human heart transplant, performed at Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa, by a team of surgeons led by Christiaan Barnard....
, a victim of a road accident, Washkansky was able to survive the operation and lived for a period of eighteen days before dying of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. On January 2, 1968, Blaiberg became the second person to successfully undergo a heart transplant. Blaiberg received the heart from 24-year-old Clive Haupt, a coloured
Coloured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
man who had collapsed on a Cape Town beach the day before. That the identity of the heart donor had been released led to much heated controversy in South Africa. In the times of the apartheid, there was heated debate about the racism that existed in the country. Some even went on to say:
Blaiberg had a smooth recovery after the successful heart transplant. Days after his operation, he was in good spirits, and had had no serious complications from the transplant. The team of doctors led by Barnard were able to treat him for the minor problems that occurred, and the doctors reduced his dosage of immunosuppressive drugs. Less than three months after the heart transplant operation, he was able to drive his car. Blaiberg was able to return to his normal lifestyle after the transplant, and as his wife said Philip "was running around like a machine".
In June 1968, Blaiberg contracted hepatitis while undergoing routine tests in South Africa's Groote Schuur Hospital. Emergency treatment kept him alive, but Blaiberg suffered some long-term complications from the transplant, and he died of chronic organ rejection on August 17, 1969. Blaiberg's autopsy showed severe and widespread coronary artery disease, a precursor to atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which an artery wall thickens as a result of the accumulation of fatty materials such as cholesterol...
. Barnard said "eventually the chronic rejection had damaged the heart to such an extent that it failed." But he added, "I'd would like to point you that I don’t think we should be discouraged and throw up our arms and say that this is now the end, because we have now operated on five patients. And the total days of survival so far of these five -- five patients has been 1,001 days. I think that gives you a -- an average survival of 200 days."
The success of Blaiberg's transplant led to an immediate increase in the number of doctors performing heart transplants around the world. By the end of August 1968, 34 heart transplants had been performed, and by December 1968, 100 hearts had been transplanted into 98 patients. Heart transplant surgery has now become a standard procedure. It had been done about 100,000 times as of 2001 and was carried out on about 2,100 patients in 160 hospitals in the U.S. in 2001, with a one-year success rate of 85-90% and a five-year success rate of 75%.