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Transplant Error

Aired February 20, 2003 - 11:54   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to bring you the latest now on Jesica Santillan. She underwent her second heart-lung transplant in less than two weeks. She received organs with the wrong blood type in the first surgery, and she was left clinging to life before new donor organs became available.
Let's go now to Durham, North Carolina. That's where Elizabeth Cohen is standing by with the latest on Jesica.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, after a four- hour surgery, Jesica Santillan's new heart and new lungs are working, and she is off life support. That's according to a family friend. This is definitely the best news that the family could have hopes for.

However, it is important to say that Jessica is not out of the woods yet. You can imagine what kind of shape she's in. Firs of all, she had a life-threatening heart disease, and then she got a set of heart and lungs two weeks ago that were the wrong type. She had to live with those heart and lungs as her body was rejecting them, and then go had to through this second surgery.

While Jesica has a new heart, she has been winning over the hearts of many. People have been barraging the organ bank here with calls for help. One older woman said, I've lived a long life. If they'll help, I'd like to give my organs to Jesica -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Elizabeth Cohen at Duke University, thank you so much for that.

We have some insight now. Dr. Joe Forbess is trained in cardiac surgery at Duke, and he is now a surgeon at Children's Health Care of Atlanta, also assistant professor at Emory University.

Doctor, good morning. Thanks for being with us.

I know Jesica is not your patient. You trained at Duke. You're very familiar with this type of surgery. What is the biggest challenge right now?

DR. JOSEPH FORBESS, SURGEON'S CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE OF ATLANTA: Well, the early problem will be the primary function of the heart and lungs.

KAGAN: And when we hear that the heart is beating on its own, that's a good sign.

FORBESS: These are all good signs. But in addition to her heart and lungs, her other organ systems have suffered through this early period after her first transplant. So it's going to be important for her other organ systems to survive this ordeal as well.

KAGAN: A lot of people who have been following the story have been kind of shaking their heads saying, how did this even happen in the first place, but you and I had a chance to visit earlier, and you do heart transplants yourself in children. And you get that call at 2:00 in the morning saying you have a match, there is an assumption that somebody else has done the work to make sure that it's a blood- type match as well.

FORBESS: Correct. There's a very well-developed infrastructure, so when I do get the call at 2:00 a.m., the things I'm wondering about is how well the heart is functioning in the potential donor, how well the lungs are functioning in the potential donor, and the assumption is already made that the blood type is correct, or I wouldn't be getting that call.

KAGAN: Absolutely. So all the best thoughts going out to Jesica Santillan and her family and the doctors treating her there at Duke.

Dr. Forbess, thanks for hanging with us and giving us the information.

FORBESS: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired February 20, 2003 - 11:54   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to bring you the latest now on Jesica Santillan. She underwent her second heart-lung transplant in less than two weeks. She received organs with the wrong blood type in the first surgery, and she was left clinging to life before new donor organs became available.
Let's go now to Durham, North Carolina. That's where Elizabeth Cohen is standing by with the latest on Jesica.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, after a four- hour surgery, Jesica Santillan's new heart and new lungs are working, and she is off life support. That's according to a family friend. This is definitely the best news that the family could have hopes for.

However, it is important to say that Jessica is not out of the woods yet. You can imagine what kind of shape she's in. Firs of all, she had a life-threatening heart disease, and then she got a set of heart and lungs two weeks ago that were the wrong type. She had to live with those heart and lungs as her body was rejecting them, and then go had to through this second surgery.

While Jesica has a new heart, she has been winning over the hearts of many. People have been barraging the organ bank here with calls for help. One older woman said, I've lived a long life. If they'll help, I'd like to give my organs to Jesica -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Elizabeth Cohen at Duke University, thank you so much for that.

We have some insight now. Dr. Joe Forbess is trained in cardiac surgery at Duke, and he is now a surgeon at Children's Health Care of Atlanta, also assistant professor at Emory University.

Doctor, good morning. Thanks for being with us.

I know Jesica is not your patient. You trained at Duke. You're very familiar with this type of surgery. What is the biggest challenge right now?

DR. JOSEPH FORBESS, SURGEON'S CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE OF ATLANTA: Well, the early problem will be the primary function of the heart and lungs.

KAGAN: And when we hear that the heart is beating on its own, that's a good sign.

FORBESS: These are all good signs. But in addition to her heart and lungs, her other organ systems have suffered through this early period after her first transplant. So it's going to be important for her other organ systems to survive this ordeal as well.

KAGAN: A lot of people who have been following the story have been kind of shaking their heads saying, how did this even happen in the first place, but you and I had a chance to visit earlier, and you do heart transplants yourself in children. And you get that call at 2:00 in the morning saying you have a match, there is an assumption that somebody else has done the work to make sure that it's a blood- type match as well.

FORBESS: Correct. There's a very well-developed infrastructure, so when I do get the call at 2:00 a.m., the things I'm wondering about is how well the heart is functioning in the potential donor, how well the lungs are functioning in the potential donor, and the assumption is already made that the blood type is correct, or I wouldn't be getting that call.

KAGAN: Absolutely. So all the best thoughts going out to Jesica Santillan and her family and the doctors treating her there at Duke.

Dr. Forbess, thanks for hanging with us and giving us the information.

FORBESS: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com