Eileen Saxon
Encyclopedia
Eileen Saxon was an infant known as "The Blue Baby", because of a condition called Tetralogy of Fallot
, one of the primary congenital defects that lead to blue baby syndrome
. In this condition, defects in the great vessels and wall of the heart lead to a chronic lack of oxygen
in the blood. In Eileen's case, this made her lips and fingers turn blue, with the rest of her skin having a very faint blue tinge. She could only take a few steps before beginning to breathe heavily.
On November 29, 1944, Saxon was the first human to receive a groundbreaking operation (now known as a Blalock-Taussig shunt
) suggested by pediatric
cardiologist Helen B. Taussig
and administered by Alfred Blalock
, with Vivien Thomas
, who had perfected the surgery in laboratory tests on animals, standing over his shoulder to advise him on performing the surgery.
The surgery had been designed and first performed on laboratory dogs by Thomas, who taught the technique to Blalock. Although Thomas perfected the technique, he could not perform the surgery because he was not a doctor.
The surgery was not completely successful, since Eileen Saxon became cyanotic
again a few months later. Another shunt was attempted on the opposite side of the chest, but she died a few days afterwards, very close to her third birthday.
Though Eileen died, she lived long enough to demonstrate that the operation would work. The team later discovered the operation worked best in older children. Eileen herself could not have waited any longer. By the time the first shunt was attempted on her, she was in danger of dying.
The 2004 movie produced by HBO, Something The Lord Made
, is a dramatic documentary based on the Saxon baby operation.
Tetralogy of Fallot
Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart defect which is classically understood to involve four anatomical abnormalities...
, one of the primary congenital defects that lead to blue baby syndrome
Blue baby syndrome
Blue baby syndrome is a layman's term used to describe newborns with cyanotic heart lesions, such as* Persistent Truncus Arteriosus* Transposition of the great vessels* Tricuspid atresia* Tetralogy of Fallot...
. In this condition, defects in the great vessels and wall of the heart lead to a chronic lack of oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
in the blood. In Eileen's case, this made her lips and fingers turn blue, with the rest of her skin having a very faint blue tinge. She could only take a few steps before beginning to breathe heavily.
On November 29, 1944, Saxon was the first human to receive a groundbreaking operation (now known as a Blalock-Taussig shunt
Blalock-Taussig shunt
The Blalock–Taussig shunt is a surgical procedure to give palliation to cyanotic heart defects which are common causes of blue baby syndrome...
) suggested by pediatric
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
cardiologist Helen B. Taussig
Helen B. Taussig
Helen Brooke Taussig was an American cardiologist, working in Baltimore and Boston, who founded the field of pediatric cardiology. Notably, she is credited with developing the concept for a procedure that would extend the lives of children born with Tetrology of Fallot...
and administered by Alfred Blalock
Alfred Blalock
Alfred Blalock was a 20th-century American surgeon most noted for his research on the medical condition of shock and the development of the Blalock-Taussig Shunt, surgical relief of the cyanosis from Tetralogy of Fallot—known commonly as the blue baby syndrome—with Vivien Thomas and pediatric...
, with Vivien Thomas
Vivien Thomas
Vivien Theodore Thomas was an African-American surgical technician who developed the procedures used to treat blue baby syndrome in the 1940s...
, who had perfected the surgery in laboratory tests on animals, standing over his shoulder to advise him on performing the surgery.
The surgery had been designed and first performed on laboratory dogs by Thomas, who taught the technique to Blalock. Although Thomas perfected the technique, he could not perform the surgery because he was not a doctor.
The surgery was not completely successful, since Eileen Saxon became cyanotic
Cyanosis
Cyanosis is the appearance of a blue or purple coloration of the skin or mucous membranes due to the tissues near the skin surface being low on oxygen. The onset of cyanosis is 2.5 g/dL of deoxyhemoglobin. The bluish color is more readily apparent in those with high hemoglobin counts than it is...
again a few months later. Another shunt was attempted on the opposite side of the chest, but she died a few days afterwards, very close to her third birthday.
Though Eileen died, she lived long enough to demonstrate that the operation would work. The team later discovered the operation worked best in older children. Eileen herself could not have waited any longer. By the time the first shunt was attempted on her, she was in danger of dying.
The 2004 movie produced by HBO, Something The Lord Made
Something the Lord Made
Something The Lord Made is a film about the black cardiac pioneer Vivien Thomas and his complex and volatile partnership with white surgeon Alfred Blalock, the world famous "Blue Baby doctor" who pioneered modern heart surgery...
, is a dramatic documentary based on the Saxon baby operation.