Browse Items (230 total)

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.

Pamela Schmidt was the third patient to undergo open heart surgery using the technique of controlled cross circulation at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in 1954. Pamela and her parents participated in the public announcement of the…

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…

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 Heart Lung Machine Used in 175 Patients for Open Heart Surgery

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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…

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…

This document was used as background information to create a teaching film on using the method of induced hypothermia to close an atrial septal defect in the open heart. In 1954, professor of surgery Richard Varco collaborated with William…

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 Variety Club Heart Hospital, a hospital built specifically for the care and treatment of persons afflicted with heart disease, admitted the first patients on March 20, 1951. A Dedication Dinner was held in the main ballroom of Coffman Memorial…

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.

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…

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.

A blank form that was used to record the details of open heart surgery performed using the DeWall Bubble Oxygenator.

The abbreviations IVC and SVC refer to the inferior and superior venae cavae, two large veins that return deoxygenated blood from…

A form used to track the maintenance of the Sigmamotor pump used to pump blood during open heart surgery.

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

The Variety Club Heart Hospital, a hospital built specifically for the care and treatment of persons afflicted with heart disease, admitted the first patients on March 20, 1951. A Dedication Dinner was held in the main ballroom of Coffman Memorial…

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.

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.

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…

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…

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.

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…

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.

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…

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…

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…

A news release produced by the University of Minnesota News Service that announced the development of the controlled cross circulation method for open heart surgery.

This news release reported the progress of the controlled cross circulation surgeries performed at the University, success of those surgeries, and outlined the individuals involved.

These notes were sent to Charles Christensen, NBC Director, from NBC producer Louis Hazam on May 17, 1954. The notes document planning for the production of a film that featured the controlled cross circulation method for open heart surgery. The…

This pamphlet was produced by the Minnesota Heart Association (established 1947) to promote awareness of heart disease.

William T. Harris, Jr. , director of the University News Service, organized a press conference at the University on April 30, 1954 to announce the development of controlled cross circulation method for open heart surgery and the success of operations…

Heart surgery diagram of blood bypass and pump

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Leonard Engel published "The Operation: A minute-by-minute account of a heart operation--and the story of medicine and surgery that led up to it," in 1958. The book describes the controlled cross circulation method used by Dr. C. Walton Lillehei and…

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.

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…

The disposable sheet oxygenator, a modification of the DeWall Bubble Oxygenator, was manufactured commercially by Baxtor Laboratories.

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…

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…

Professor of Surgery John R. Paine reported the progress of the cardiac research made possible by an $800 grant from the Graduate School

Richard L. Varco, associate professor of surgery, applied to the Graduate School for funding for his research into alternative surgical treatments for tetralogy of Falot and other heart defects.

F. John Lewis requested funding from the Graduate School to support his research on the use of body cooling (induced hypothermia) for open heart surgery. F. John Lewis lead the first surgical team to perform a successful open heart surgery in a dry…

F. John Lewis requested funding from the Graduate School to support his research on the use of body cooling (induced hypothermia) for open heart surgery. F. John Lewis lead the first surgical team to perform a successful open heart surgery in a…

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

F. John Lewis requested funding from the Graduate School to support his research on the use of body cooling (induced hypothermia) for open heart surgery. F. John Lewis lead the first surgical team to perform a successful open heart surgery in a dry…

Drs. C. Walton Lillehei, Morley Cohen, and Herbert Warden, demonstrate the Sigmamotor pump and flow of blood through tubing during a controlled cross circulation open heart surgery. The presentation was given during a press conference on April 30,…

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 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…

Drs using Heart Lung Machine at Mayo

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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)…

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…

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. C. Walton Lillehei seated at a desk and holding a lantern slide.

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…

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

C. Walton Lillehei second from left.

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

An interventricular, or ventricular septal defect (VSD), is a congenital heart defect. VSD is a hole in the ventricular septum, or wall, that divides the lower chambers--the left and right ventricle--of the heart. The hole allows the exchange of…

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…

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.