First Heart Transplant of a Prisoner: Through the Concrete Ceiling
Author: Scott T. Anderson, MD, PhD, FACP, FACR.
Source: Volume 04, Number 03, March/April 2003 , pp.39-40(2)
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Abstract:
At the recent National Correctional Commission on Health Care meeting in Nashville, a multi-disciplinary panel met to discuss the implications of the first heart transplantation surgery in a correctional setting, an event which occurred in January of 2002. It was my privilege to present the case of “Mr. X,” (a pseudonym since I chose to protect his anonymity), the first inmate, we believe, to receive a heart transplantation. What have we learned? Did Mr. X, to coin a metaphor, burst through a concrete ceiling, reaching a zenith for health care of incarcerated persons? Or did his selection as a transplant pioneer lead to little benefit, at great cost? The answer may be “a little of both.” Let’s review his case history and try to learn from this historic case.Keywords: postviral cardiomyopathy, Stanford, CNN, immunosuppressant, congestive heart failure
Affiliations:
1: California Medical Facility.