1 Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3705 Fifth Ave at DeSoto St, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3417
In Reply.
The authors would like to thank Mr. Lantos for his comments. The political, economic, and ethical issues raised are important ones but obviously not the focus of our paper. We will, however, provide additional information in an attempt to answer some of Mr Lantos' questions. The question about what encouraged us to start is easy to answer. An 8-year-old child languishing in our intensive care unit on IV inotropic support with no hope of survival was the first orthotopic heart transplantation performed at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.