Browse Items (230 total)

The method of controlled cross circulation for open heart surgery was announced to the public at a University of Minnesota press conference on April 30, 1954. William T. Harris, Jr., director of the University News Service, organized the media…

Dr. Gilbert Campbell and Norman Crisp developed a method of circulation by-pass through the use of an excised dog lung which acted as blood oxygenator during open heart surgery. The "biological oxygenator," was used in 15 clinical operations.

Dr. Christaan Barnard of the Department of Surgery at the University of Capetown in South Africa came to the University of Minnesota as a surgical resident in January of 1956. From 1956-1958 he was trained on the pump oxygenator system for open…

Owen H. Wangensteen, chief of the Department of Surgery, wrote to professor of surgery Richard L. Varco advising caution in the selection of patients for open heart surgery that used new methods of oxygenation that were being developed in the…

Alfred Blalock of The Johns Hopkins Hospital was a well known cardiac surgeon who performed the first procedure to treat the congenital heart defect Tetralogy of Fallot (1944). Owen Wangensteen, chief of the Department of Surgery at the University…

In 1938, at Children’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, Robert Gross performed the first successful repair of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) - a congenital condition in which an important blood vessel in the heart fails to close after birth…

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…

In the summer of 1941, 10 seminars were held on the subject of the heart and circulation by the Department of Surgery. The seminars were held at 4:00 p.m. in Room 318 of Millard Hall.

Paul Zoll of Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, developed external cardiac pacing.

Antifoam A, a substance made by the Dow Corning Corporation, was used in the operation of the DeWall Bubble Oxygenator. The substance, when coated along the walls of the debubbling chamber of the oxygenator unit, helped to dissipate bubbles…

Surgeons from around the world visited the University Hospitals to receive training in the innovations for open heart surgery established by the surgeons at the University of Minnesota.

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…

In a memorandum sent to all division and department heads on February 3, 1953, Robert B. Howard, Director of Post-Graduate Studies in the Medical School, requested a report "about the various research projects currently being carried out in the…

Surgeons from around the world visited the University Hospitals to receive training in the innovations for open heart surgery established by the surgeons at the University of Minnesota.

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.

The Sigmamotor pump was used during open heart surgery to pump blood through polyvinyl tubing from a patient to a donor or artificial oxygenator while the heart was being operated on.

The University of Minnesota Department of Surgery purchased the refrigeration blankets and other apparatus used in the procedure to induce hypothermia for open heart surgery from the Therm-O-Rite Products Corporation of Buffalo, New York.

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 (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…

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…

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 performing open-heart surgery while using the bubble oxygenator invented by Richard A. DeWall

The discovery of methods for open heart surgery would not have been possible without first performing research with canines in the laboratory.

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…

The prototype transistorized battery-operated pacemaker was invented by Earl Bakken in 1957.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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.

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…

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…

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…

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.

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.

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…

Richard L. Varco, associate professor of surgery, requested funding from the Graduate School to support his research on coronary insufficiency.

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…

Pictured in front from left to right are Chief Barker of the Variety Club of the Northwest, Arthur Anderson

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…

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 using Heart Lung Machine at Mayo

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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…

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 Heart Lung Machine Used in 175 Patients for Open Heart Surgery

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Heart surgery diagram of blood bypass and pump

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Cross circulation surgery - Dr. C. W. Lillehei (right center) performing open heart surgery with large operating team
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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…

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…

C. Walton Lillehei second from left.

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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 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…

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 seated at a desk and holding a lantern slide.

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)…

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…

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…

The Cardiovascular Training Program was established at the University of Minnesota with a grant by the National Institutes of Health in July of 1956. The program funded surgical fellowships for trainees to learn clinical intracardiac procedures…