Main content

Baby Fae and the baboon's heart

In 1984 doctors in California tried to save a baby girl's life by giving her a heart transplant. Unable to find an infant human donor, they used the heart of a baboon.

In 1984 doctors in California tried to save a baby girl's life by giving her a heart transplant. Unable to find an infant human donor, they used the heart of a baboon. Dr Leonard Bailey, who led the transplant team, and nurse Marie Hodgkins, talk about their attempts to save Baby Fae.

Photo: Baby Fae in the isolation unit listening to her mother's voice a few days after her operation. Courtesy of Loma Linda University Medical Center.

Available now

14 minutes

Last on

Sat 19 Feb 2022 05:45GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sun 13 Jan 2013 14:45GMT
  • Wed 16 Feb 2022 09:30GMT
  • Wed 16 Feb 2022 20:45GMT
  • Sat 19 Feb 2022 05:45GMT

Podcast