Two Cardiac Transplant Now Require Daily splant Patients Insulin Injection
Two patients who underwent heart transplantation at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, require daily insulin injections to manage hyperglycemia.Their hyperglycemia, apparently steroid induced, and the difficulty of keeping the men occupied while in isolation are the only problems of any consequence that have arisen during their postoperative course, Robert D. Leachman, MD, told Medical News."Both men are doing well," he commented. "Their heart action is good, and there has been no indication of rejection. Symptomatic improvement immediately after surgery was remarkable."Dr. Leachman, associate professor of medicine, Baylor University College of Medicine, and director of cardiology at St. Luke's, has helped supervise the postoperative care of Everett C. Thomas, 47, and John Fierro, 54.Mr. Thomas, who underwent surgery May 2, 1968, was the first of eight heart transplants performed (as of August 7) by Denton Cooley,