—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February IQ, 1979
82
Pork industry
unites for
research drive
By SALLY BAIR
Staff Writer
You probably know someone whose life
has been saved by a pig. If this sounds
farfetched, you haven’t heard of porcine
heart valves and the lifesaving role they
are playing in heart surgery.
The Pennsylvania Porkettes and the
Pork Producers Council have a joint
project underway to raise funds to keep
those pigs saving lives. Their fund-raising
project, which will climax this week, will
make money available for further
research on using pig valves to replace
human heart valves.
According to Mrs. John Henkel,
Strasburg Rl, the Porkettes initiated the
drive “because we felt the need to do
something to reach out and help other
people.” She explained that they have
done a lot of promoting their product, but
wanted to turn this promotion into an area
of helping others. Carol is the chairman of
the state Porcine Heart Valve Drive.
She said they got the idea for a
“helping” promotion from South Dakota,
where they raised money to help bum
victims. Pig skin is very useful in
promoting healing and infection when used
as an overlay on bum victims.
The Pennsylania group investigated the
need in Pennsylvania, and through their
investigations turned instead to the pig
.valve. They discovered that patients
themselves do not need funds for the
valves, since the cost is usually covered
under medical programs; however, they
found a big need for additional research
funds.
Pig valves have been used in heart
patients for as long as ten years, but so far
studies have not demonstrated the
longevity of the valves. Carol pointed out
that in children the valves need to be
replaced as they grow. In adults the useful
life of the valve has not been determined.
In studying the need, Carol and other
Porkettes traveled to Hershey Medical
Pork heart valves
Center and to St. Christophers Children’s
Hospital in Philadelphia, meeting with
leading heart surgeons at both institutions.
Carol came away very much moved and
educated in more detail about the need and
the use of pig valves in heart surgery. She
said work being done is very impressive,
and expressed special interest in a com
pletely artificial heart which has been
used successfully on the outside of a calf at
Hershey Medical Center. She noted that a
mechanical heart will definitely become
available to heart patients in the future,
but many things still need to be worked out
before they can be used in humans.
In explaining the decision to proceed
with the fund drive, Carol said, “The
research on the pig valve is funded, except
in the area of pig valves themselves. The
cost of a pig valve is so high (from $7OO to
Homestead Notes
R. K. Balsara
Purchasers of a $1
donation ticket will be
eligible to win either a
pig suede jacket or a
full length women's
coat. Carol displays a
pig suede jacket that is
owned by'her husband,
John.
Carol Henkel checks over some of the factual information she has gathered for
the fund drive by the Porkettes and the Pork Producers Council, to r'aise money
for porcine heart valve research.
$1400) that in research they use valves
which are rejected for use in heart
patients. We want to provide them with
money to get perfect valves for research.”
She stated that if there is a failure in a
research project, it cannot be determined
if the failure is due to a defective valve or
to some other reason.
The reason for thehigh cost of the valves
is that 90 per cent of the valves retrieved
from pigs are not suitable for use because
of some imperfection. Those that are
deemed acceptable undergo a tran
sformation before being used in humans.
Carol said the smallest valves come from
a sixty-pound pig, and the cost of these
valves for children is the highest because
of their small size.
, w
“The valves must be removed under
sterile conditions and everything must be
perfect,” she said. “It is then completely
changed from what it was. The work is
hand done and may take four to five days
to complete. The process is very precise
and stringently controlled.” Under
completely sterile conditions the valves
are fitted with a metal ring which keeps
them from collapsing when they are used
in heart surgery. They require special
storage to ensure protection from light and
heat, and they cannot be frozen. “If there
is even a question that a valve was frozen
it is not suitable.” ,
Pig valves have become such an im
portant tool in heart surgery she ex
plained, because “there is no rejection
problem.” There is also no need to use
anticoagulants when pig valves are used
as replacements, because there are no
clotting problems. The only other ac
ceptable valves are plastic, and pig valves
seem to be more readily accepted by the
human body.
Carol said that the Porkettes learned
that in the United States there are 50,000
replacement operations done per year,
and two-thirds of these are done by using
porcine valves. That means there are
W. S. Pierce
35,000 perfect valves needed annually in
this country and 70,000 needed worldwide.
With a ninety per cent rate of rejection of
hearts 'recovered from pigs, it is easy to
see the number of valves which must be
recovered from pigs to meet the demand.
The group officially started the project
in October, 1978, and has worked primarily
through businesses and service
organizations with a mail order request.
The official end of this first phase of the
funding program will come to an end at the
Keystone Pork Congress to be held at the
Hershey Convention Center on Friday,
February 16. Carol explained that they
want-to conclude this phase at the Congress
to coincide with Heart Month. However,
she noted that the actual disbursement of
funds to two research centers will not be
made until a March meeting of the
Porkettes so contributions can be accepted
after Friday.
Another part .of the promotion is the
selling of donation tickets which entitle the
purchaser to participate in a drawing for
one men’s pig suede jacket and one
women’s pig suede full length coat. The
drawing will be done at the banquet on
Friday evening. “You don’t have to be
there to win,” Carol said, “and the coat
and jacket are available in whatever size
or color the winners select” She said the
$l.OO tickets are being sold throughout the
state and will continue to be sold during
the Pork Congress. was
donated, so all the money from the
donation tickets will go directly to the
porcine heart valve fund.
A feature of the Pork Congress will be a
seminar conducted on the heart valve
research by Dr. R. Balsara of St.
Christophers Children’s Hospital in
Philadelphia and Dr. W. S. Pierce of the
Hershey Medical Center. The seminar will
feature a filmstrip and slide presentation
on the research being done. A heart-lung
machine will be set up to be viewed and
explamed for participants. Both doctors
will answer questions about their research
and the use of porcine heart valves, how
they are harvested and processed. “We
are so happy to get theie two men together
for this seminar,” Carol declared. She
noted that the seminar is open to anyone
andis scheduled so that no other part of
the Pork Congress will conflict.
Carol said she agreed to be chairman of
this state project because, “I thought it
was really worthwhile. But it turned into
more work than I expected.” She stressed
that the project is a joint one by the
Porkettes and the Pork Producers.
“Everyone is so enthusiastic about this
project,” she said. And it will not stop with
the Pork Congress. It will be continued
throughout the coming year, but with
emphasis on individual local events to
raise money. “This is our main drive and
we hope to get as much in as possible. We
really feel it is worthwhile because so
many people are being helped by it.”
Individuals or businesses who wish to
contribute to research on the use of the pig
valve in heart surgery can sent their tax
deductible contributions to, Carol Henkel
RD 1, Box 221, Strasburg, Pa. 17579. If
there are questions she wiU welcome your
call. Her phone is 717-786-2562. Checks
should be made out to the Porcine Heart
Valve Research Fund.