Open Heart: Intracardiac Surgery at the University of Minnesota
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Open Heart: Intracardiac Surgery at the University of Minnesota
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![Heart Film, "One Victory," re-telling the events leading up to the world's first open heart surgery](https://gallerytemp.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/147e66b40a1d4351b69b78d85540d3ab.jpg "Heart Film, "One Victory," re-telling the events leading up to the world's first open heart surgery")
Portrait of William T. Harris, Jr., Director of the University News Service
William T. Harris, Jr. (1911-1984) was the director of the University News Service (1946-1962) and assistant director of University Relations (1962-1971) at the University of Minnesota.
F. John Lewis speaking to a medical resident at the University of Minnesota Medical Center
F. John Lewis (1916-1993) was an Instructor (1950), Assistant Professor (1951), Clinical Associate Professor (1952-1953), and Associate Professor of surgery (1954-1956) at the University of Minnesota. He went on to become the first full-time member…
Illustration of the azygos flow concept for open heart surgery
The azygos vein is a blood vessel that carries a small amount of deoxygenated blood from the body into the right side of the heart. The vein acts as an alternative path for blood flow when the main blood vessel carriers, the superior and inferior…
Woman wearing her Medtronic transistorized battery-powered pacemaker with cloth pouch and shoulder strap
By 1958, Medtronic, Inc. manufactured a commercial model of the 1957 prototype devised by Earl Bakken for C. Walton Lillehei at the University of Minnesota. The "5800" came with a cloth strap and pouch for patients to wear with ease.
Dr. C. Walton Lillehei and his team using the DeWall Bubble Oxygenator to perform open heart surgery
Dr. C. Walton Lillehei and his team performing open-heart surgery while using the bubble oxygenator invented by Richard A. DeWall
Diagram of the experimental technique for controlled cross circulation
The discovery of methods for open heart surgery would not have been possible without first performing research with canines in the laboratory.
The helix reservoir used in the DeWall Bubble Oxygenator and Dextrose solution for priming
In 1961, Nazih Zuhdi, a medical fellow in surgery at the University of Minnesota from 1956-1957, introduced hemodilution to open heart surgery. By diluting the blood by priming the pump-oxygenator apparatus with a 5% dextrose water solution, it…
Prototype Medtronic transistorized battery-powered pacemaker
The prototype transistorized battery-operated pacemaker was invented by Earl Bakken in 1957.
Illustration showing arterialized venous blood collection for continuous arterial perfusion
In 1955, surgeons at the University of Minnesota operated on 5 patients for open heart surgery using the method of continuous arterial perfusion.
Research showed that when deoxygenated (venous blood) was warmed at 45 degrees Celcius for 15…
Research showed that when deoxygenated (venous blood) was warmed at 45 degrees Celcius for 15…
Lillehei-Kaster Pivoting Disc Valve in fully open position
Electrical engineer Robert Kaster, (U of M 1951) collaborated with C. Walton Lillehei to invent a prosthetic heart valve named the Lillehei-Kaster Pivoting Disc Valve. The device was first successfully implanted in 1967. The valves were produced…
Intracardiac surgery exhibit, panel showing controlled cross circulation method
The exhibit, "Methods for Direct Vision Intracardiac Surgery," was displayed at the American Medical Association Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1955. William M. Holmes of the University of Minnesota Department of Medical Illustration…
Intracardiac surgery exhibit, panel showing continuous arterial perfusion method
The exhibit, "Methods for Direct Vision Intracardiac Surgery," was displayed at the American Medical Association Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1955. William M. Holmes of the University of Minnesota Department of Medical Illustration…
Intracardiac surgery exhibit, panel showing chart of results
The exhibit, "Methods for Direct Vision Intracardiac Surgery," was displayed at the American Medical Association Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1955. William M. Holmes of the University of Minnesota Department of Medical Illustration…
Intracardiac surgery exhibit, panel showing biological oxygenator method
The exhibit, "Methods for Direct Vision Intracardiac Surgery," was displayed at the American Medical Association Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1955. William M. Holmes of the University of Minnesota Department of Medical Illustration…
Portrait of Earl Bakken
Earl Bakken, founder of Medtronic, invented the transistorized battery-powered pacemaker in 1957. The pacemaker was used by Dr. C. Walton Lillehei to treat patients who developed post-operative heart block following a corrective open heart…
Exhibit, "Methods for Direct Vision Intracardiac Surgery"
![Exhibit, "Methods for Direct Vision Intracardiac Surgery"](https://gallerytemp.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/c9fb59b0847fddd7e4236226535e72f0.jpg "Exhibit, "Methods for Direct Vision Intracardiac Surgery"")
The exhibit, "Methods for Direct Vision Intracardiac Surgery," was displayed at the American Medical Association Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1955. William M. Holmes of the University of Minnesota Department of Medical Illustration…
Portrait of Dr. Gilbert S. Campbell
Dr. Gilbert S. Campbell, along with medical fellow Norman Crisp, developed the method of biological oxygenation using a dog lung for cardiopulmonary by-pass in 1955. The method was used on 15 patients.
Portrait of Norman Crisp, Jr., Medical Fellow
In 1955, Norman Crisp collaborated with Dr. Gilbert S. Campbell on research with biological oxygenation using an excised dog lung as an oxygenator during cardiopulmonary by-pass. The method was used on 15 patients.
Portrait of Dr. Clarence Dennis
Dr. Clarence Dennis (1909-2005), graduate of the University of Minnesota (M.S. 1938, Ph.D. 1940), was a Teaching Fellow (1936-1937) and Research Assistant (1937-1938) in the Department of Surgery, Instructor in the Department of Physiology…
Portrait of Dr. Morley Cohen
Dr. Morley Cohen (1923-2005) was a Medical Fellow (1951-1953), Research Assistant (1953-1954), and Clinical Instructor (1955) in the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota. He obtained a Doctor of Philosophy of Surgery from the…
Portrait of Dr. Ivan D. Baronofsky
Ivan D. Baronofsky was a Medical Intern (1943), Medical Fellow and Research Assistant (1944-1947), Instructor (1948), Assistant Professor (1949), and Associate Professor of Surgery (1950-1956) at the University of Minnesota. He obtained a Doctor of…
Portrait of Dr. Owen H. Wangensteen
Owen H. Wangensteen (1898-1981) was the chief of the Department of Surgery in the Medical School at the University of Minnesota from 1930-1967.
Portrait of Dr. Owen H. Wangensteen
Owen H. Wangensteen (1898-1981) was the chief of the Department of Surgery in the Medical School at the University of Minnesota from 1930-1967.
Application for Grant-In-Aid, U.S. Public Health Service, "A direct visual method of producing interauricular communications," by Ivan D. Baronofsky
![Application for Grant-In-Aid, U.S. Public Health Service, "A direct visual method of producing interauricular communications," by Ivan D. Baronofsky](https://gallerytemp.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/0f0d334ef1643d14bd09a846a5bd5986.jpg "Application for Grant-In-Aid, U.S. Public Health Service, "A direct visual method of producing interauricular communications," by Ivan D. Baronofsky")
Ivan D. Baronofsky, Assistant Professor of Surgery, applied for funding from the U.S. Public Health Service to support his research on the repair of congenital heart defects. A report of his methods and description of his experiments are included…
Graduate School Application for Grant in Aid of Research, "Heart Disease: The development of vascular techniques applicable to the study and correction of coronary insufficiency," by Richard L. Varco
![Graduate School Application for Grant in Aid of Research, "Heart Disease: The development of vascular techniques applicable to the study and correction of coronary insufficiency," by Richard L. Varco](https://gallerytemp.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/10f09c6b98e63b494afafcb9d2b29833.jpg "Graduate School Application for Grant in Aid of Research, "Heart Disease: The development of vascular techniques applicable to the study and correction of coronary insufficiency," by Richard L. Varco")
Richard L. Varco, associate professor of surgery, requested funding from the Graduate School to support his research on coronary insufficiency.
Open heart surgery patient Pamela Schmidt, her parents, and Dr. C. Walton Lillehei at the press conference held to announce the controlled cross circulation technique
At the request of the Chair of the Department of Surgery, Owen Wangensteen, William T. Harris, Jr. of the University News Service organized a press conference at the auditorium of the Variety Heart Club Hospital on Friday, April 30, 1954 to report…
Actress Loretta Young cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Variety Club Heart Hospital
Pictured in front from left to right are Chief Barker of the Variety Club of the Northwest, Arthur Anderson
The Variety Club Heart Hospital in process of construction
On Wednesday, November 24, 1948, ground was broken to build the Variety Club Heart Hospital, the first hospital in the nation dedicated to treating diseases of the heart. The hospital, which included 40 beds for children, 38 beds for adults, a…
Crowd seated at the dedication ceremony for the Variety Club Heart Hospital
The Variety Club of the Northwest, a charitable organization comprised of members of the entertainment industry, presented University President James L. Morrill with a $250,000 check, along with a pledge of $25,000 in annual support to build and…
Drs. Richard De Wall and Vincent L. Gott standing next to the disposable bubble sheet oxygenator for use in open heart surgery
Drs using Heart Lung Machine at Mayo
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![Dr. Vincent L. Gott demonstrating the modified DeWall bubble "sheet" oxygenator in the Mayo Hospital lobby](https://gallerytemp.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/80a2746a45accdf81a9992a608d3ea9c.jpg "Dr. Vincent L. Gott demonstrating the modified DeWall bubble "sheet" oxygenator in the Mayo Hospital lobby")
C. Walton Lillehei announcing the first clinically successful open heart surgery operation using controlled cross circulation during a press conference
At the request of the Chair of the Department of Surgery, Owen Wangensteen, William T. Harris, Jr. of the University News Service organized a press conference at the auditorium of the Variety Heart Club Hospital on Friday, April 30, 1954 to report…
Richard DeWall operating his invention, The DeWall Bubble Oxygenator, for use during open heart surgery
The DeWall Bubble Oxygenator, or heart-lung machine, was first used clinically in 1955 in order to by-pass the heart and lungs during open heart surgery to create a bloodless field for surgeons to operate on congenital defects within the heart.
The DeWall Bubble Oxygenator used for cardiopulmonary by-pass during open heart surgery
The Heart Lung Machine Used in 175 Patients for Open Heart Surgery
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Medical illustration demonstrating the connection between donor and patient during open heart surgery using the controlled cross circulation method
Heart surgery diagram of blood bypass and pump
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Dr. C. Walton Lillehei and surgical team performing the first controlled cross circulation operation on March 26, 1954
Cross circulation surgery - Dr. C. W. Lillehei (right center) performing open heart surgery with large operating team
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Dr. C. Walton Lillehei sitting in front of the intracardiac surgery exhibit
The exhibit, "Methods for Direct Vision Intracardiac Surgery," was displayed at the American Medical Association Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1955. William M. Holmes of the University of Minnesota Department of Medical Illustration…
Portrait of Dr. Richard L. Varco, Professor of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School
Dr. Richard Lynn Varco (1912-2004), a University of Minnesota graduate (M.B. 1937, M.D. 1937, Ph.D. 1944), was a Medical Fellow and Research Assistant in the Department of Surgery (1938-1940), Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Physiology…
Dr. C. Walton Lillehei and a surgical team performing an open heart surgery in the research laboratory
C. Walton Lillehei second from left.
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Pamela Schmidt on her tricycle seven weeks after open heart surgery
Following the public announcement of the method of controlled cross circulation for open heart surgery on April 30, 1954, Cosmopolitan magazine wrote a feature article that featured Pamela Schmidt, the cured patient introduced at the press…
Dr. C. Walton Lillehei and his team using the DeWall bubble oxygenator to perform open heart surgery
Dr. C. Walton Lillehei and his team performing open-heart surgery while using the Lillehei-DeWall "bubble" oxygenator. Photo taken from observation dome directly over the operating theater. Dr. L., in center bent over patient, is wearing a…
Dr. C. Walton Lillehei examines a patient chart amongst other doctors during post-operative rounds in the Recovery Room at University Hospitals
The individuals in the enclosed photograph are, from left to right, Dr. Andre Thevenet, Dr. Young Kyoon Lee (Korean), Dr. N. Gopinath (Indian), Dr. George Schimert (individual in back), Dr. Andre McClish (short fellow), and Dr. Jan Nowicki. On the…
Dr. C. Walton Lillehei examining a lantern slide
Dr. C. Walton Lillehei seated at a desk and holding a lantern slide.
Drs. F. John Lewis and Richard L. Varco demonstrating the cooling equipment used to induce hypothermia for open heart surgery
Dear Mrs. Scott,
The photograph was probably taken during the height of Dr. Lewis' and my interest in the development of low temperature techniques for working under the heart (circa 1952-3).
The apparatus is a cooling machine (under my hands)…
The photograph was probably taken during the height of Dr. Lewis' and my interest in the development of low temperature techniques for working under the heart (circa 1952-3).
The apparatus is a cooling machine (under my hands)…
Richard DeWall and the "bubble oxygenator" heart-lung machine
![Richard DeWall and the "bubble oxygenator" heart-lung machine](https://gallerytemp.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/9c270ec8113873e1f404d63e0c4c0150.jpg "Richard DeWall and the "bubble oxygenator" heart-lung machine")
Dr. Richard A. DeWall, University of Minnesota surgery instructor, stands with the heart-lung machine called a "bubble oxygenator" which he developed. Used during heart surgery, the inexpensive and simple arrangement of cylinders and tubing re-routs…
Bulletin of the University of Minnesota Hospitals and Minnesota Medical Foundation, October 17, 1952
This issue of the University Hospitals bulletin includes a report titled, "The Surgical Treatment of Congenital Heart Disease: An Analysis of 388 Cases," by C. Walton Lillehei, Ivan D. Baronofsky, and Richard Varco. It is an report of the types of…
![Bibliography for "Open Heart: Intracardiac Surgery at the University of Minnesota"](https://gallerytemp.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/a6d1be1bf2abffa11378631e32700d05.jpg "Bibliography for "Open Heart: Intracardiac Surgery at the University of Minnesota"")
Correspondence, Richard Varco to Owen Wangensteen regarding obtaining more surgical cases for F. John Lewis to employ new methods for open heart surgery
F. John Lewis, Richard Varco, Mansur Taufic, and C. Walton Lillehei performed the world's first open heart surgery under direct vision in a dry operative field on September 2, 1952. The surgeons repaired an atrial septal defect on a 5-year-old girl…
Correspondence, F. John Lewis to Owen Wangensteen regarding obtaining more cases for open heart surgery and prediction of repairing other congenital heart defects
F. John Lewis, Richard Varco, Mansur Taufic, and C. Walton Lillehei performed the world's first open heart surgery under direct vision in a dry operative field on September 2, 1952. The surgeons repaired an atrial septal defect on a 5-year-old girl…
Correspondence, Owen Wangensteen to Richard Varco regarding the first successful repair of an atrial septal defect and funding for more heart research
F. John Lewis, Richard Varco, Mansur Taufic, and C. Walton Lillehei performed the world's first open heart surgery under direct vision in a dry operative field on September 2, 1952. The surgeons repaired an atrial septal defect on a 5-year-old girl…
Correspondence, C. Walton Lillehei to Van G. Hungerford, Sigmamotor, Inc. reporting successful use of pump in a clinical open heart surgery and request for unit modification
While conducting experimental research on blood conduction for open heart surgery in 1953, C. Walton Lillehei collaborated with Sigmamotor, Inc. of Middleport, New York to design a pump sufficient to pump blood through plastic tubing during open…
Correspondence, C. Walton Lillehei to Van G. Hungerford, Sigmamotor, Inc., regarding whether pumping units can handle two blood flows simultaneously
While conducting experimental research on blood conduction for open heart surgery in 1953, C. Walton Lillehei collaborated with Sigmamotor, Inc. of Middleport, New York to design a pump sufficient to pump blood through plastic tubing during open…
Correspondence, Van G. Hungerford, Sigmamotor, Inc. to C. Walton Lillehei regarding use of Sigmamotor pumps in open heart research
While conducting experimental research on blood conduction for open heart surgery in 1953, C. Walton Lillehei collaborated with Sigmamotor, Inc. of Middleport, New York to design a pump sufficient to pump blood through plastic tubing during open…
Correspondence, C. Walton Lillehei to Van G. Hungerford, Sigmamotor, Inc. regarding modification of pumping units
While conducting experimental research on blood conduction for open heart surgery in 1953, C. Walton Lillehei collaborated with Sigmamotor, Inc. of Middleport, New York to design a pump sufficient to pump blood through plastic tubing during open…
Correspondence, C. Walton Lillehei to Van G. Hungerford, Sigmamotor, Inc., specifications for pump unit
While conducting experimental research on blood conduction for open heart surgery in 1953, C. Walton Lillehei collaborated with Sigmamotor, Inc. of Middleport, New York to design a pump sufficient to pump blood through plastic tubing during open…
Correspondence, C. Walton Lillehei to Owen Wangensteen regarding research funds for the treatment of heart block and development of a transistorized battery-operated pacemaker
In 1957, the Minnesota Heart Association awarded a grant to the Department of Surgery in the name of surgical resident William Weirich to continue research on the treatment of heart block and pursue the development of a transistorized…
Correspondence, Denton Cooley to C. Walton Lillehei reporting successful repair of ventricular septal defect in Texas
Denton A. Cooley (1920- ) received his medical training at Johns Hopkins University where he obtained a doctor of medicine degree in 1944. While at Johns Hopkins, Cooley assisted Dr. Alfred Blalock in the first successful insertion of a…
Correspondence, C. Walton Lillehei to Denton Cooley in response to Cooley's report of first successful repair of ventricular septal defect
Denton A. Cooley (1920- ) received his medical training at Johns Hopkins University where he obtained a doctor of medicine degree in 1944. While at Johns Hopkins, Cooley assisted Dr. Alfred Blalock in the first successful insertion of a…
Correspondence, C. Walton Lillehei to Russell Brock regarding Sigmamotor pump used in open heart surgery
Dr. Russell Brock (1903-1980) was a British heart surgeon and a pioneer in cardiovascular surgery who performed one of the first extracardiac operations to alleviate pulmonary stenosis in 1948.
Correspondence, Russell Brock to C. Walton Lillehei regarding ordering a pump for use in open heart surgery
Dr. Russell Brock (1903-1980) was a British heart surgeon and a pioneer in cardiovascular surgery who performed one of the first extracardiac operations to alleviate pulmonary stenosis in 1948.
