Evening star., 1952-09-26
Flap Grufted on Heart
In Surgery Experiment
Provides for Increased
Return Flow of Blood
By Thomos R. Henry

tNSNOsu INV W UsVOU
By Thomos R. Henry
Providing an increased return blood
flow to the heart by grating a flap Of
skin containing blood vessels from the
chest wall to the heart muscles, potenti-
ally one of the most significant recent
advances In heart surgery, has just been
reported to the American Association
for the Advancement Of Science here.
Thus far the operation has been per-
formed only with dogs, according to
the report Of Drs. Jerrold Won Wedel
and his associates Of New York Uni
versity. Most Of the animals have sur
vived with other sources of heart blood
supply interrupted. The operation still
Is far from the stage, however, at which
it could be risked with human patients.
The idea of the operation arose from
o chance observation of DIR. Robert E.
Moran. Washington surgeon specializing
in plastic surgery. when a so-called
"pedicle fiap," carrying considerable
blood supply. was made between two
individuals who were close relatives and
with the same blood type. Within a
few days the flap had to be disconnected.
DR.. Moran found that an unexpectedly
large amount of blood was passing from
the skin donor to the recipient. The
donor showed symptoms Of anemia. The
recipient had too much blood. especially
red blood cells.
Experiments Follow Clue.
This gave the idea that blood vessels
in the skin might be used to supplement-,
or even replace, the blood vessels
supplying the heart muscles.
Acting on this clue, the New York
University doctors have experimental to
date on rs dogs, trying various TECH
niques. In all piece Of skin is raised
from the chest near the apex of the
heart and passed the entire distance
between the chest wall and the heart.
1t was then passed through tho
pericardium, the sack in which the heart
is contained. and then Sutured to the
myocardium, or muscular portion of the
heart.
In all cases reported the skin fap
blood vessels and those Of the heart
muscle grew together-a phenomenon
known in surgery as "anastomosis."
The skin flap was grated over approxi-
mately one-third the area Of each
ventricle, so that the areas Of the
muscular portion of the heart supplied
by all the blood vessels leading to
the heart had access to the vessels Of
the flaps.
Considered as Short Circuit.
None Of the dogs died directly as q
result Of attaching the flap, the New
York University doctors report. Two
died during the operation, but from
surgical accidents. The output of blood
through the arteries was found to be
unchanged when the incoming blood
came through the vessels of the skin
flap.
The operation might be considered a
short-circuiting Of the venous blood
system, valuable in cases where the
vascular system leading to the heart is
inadequate, due to decreased size of the
veins through incrustations of calcium,
and numerous other causes.
Various schemes have been proposed
Tor providing plastic veins to replace to
ordinary heart veins, but the value
OF these remains to be demonstrated.
The New York University expert
menters do not propose the operation
Tor humans until many more animal ex-
periments have been performed and the
various complications which may arise
thoroughly understood. ..
The average-weight man probably can
drink little less than quart Of 100
proof hquor-50 per cent alcohol-in
"a hours.
Experiments demonstrating this have
Just been reported to the American As
sociation for the Advancement Of Science
here by DR.. Henry w. Newman and his
associates Of the Stanford University
School Of Medicine.
Slightly more than q quart, at least,
is about all the human system can
metabolize-that Is, burn up-their ex-
perimentS demonstrate.
They started their experiments by
feeding booze to dogs. These animals,
like men. take to it readily. They gave
the dogs hourly doses and, at the end
Of each hour. made blood tests to SEQ
how much remained in the blood stream.
Then they shifted to human volunteers.
not difficult to obtain. to see II they
reacted in the same way.
Four Subjects Picked.
They picked four subjects. Two were
fairly heavy drinkers. Two were chronic
alcoholics. There were three men and
one woman. No sex differences In toler-
ance were found. The procedure was to
give each small drink once an hour
during the day. At night the subjects
were awakened three times and given
three times the customary dose. They
made no protests over such harsh treat
ment.
Sometimes they were given straight
alcohol cut with water. Sometimes they
got it in the form Of whisky or gin. Il
made no particular difference in the
results.
Quite appreciable individual differ
enceS were found. Blood tests were taken
from hour to hour to determine how
the concentration in the blood dropped.
1--WE can thus conclude" they report.
''that the administration of alcohol over
Q period Of o number Of days has dem
onstrated q maximum metabolism Of
1O0-proof liquor somewhat less than a
quart q day estimated from animal work.
It Is unlikely that this would be greatly
exceeded"
n n -. ~ A - A.,