“Perhaps it takes courage to raise children….”
John Steinbeck
The first open heart surgeries were the closure of small atrial septal defects. Chill the patient to protect the brain, clamp the vessels to and from the heart, cut open the atrial wall and suture like someone else’s life depends upon it. It was reasonably successful, most survived if the atrium was open for less than 5 minutes. Large ASDs, ventricular septal defects and Tetralogy of Fallot’s were a more significant challenge. Complex suturing, patches and valvular reconstructions were needed, 5 minutes were not enough. Experiments with early heart bypass machines and dog circulations were disastrous . Finally on April 20 1954, Walton Lillehei from the University of Minnesota took a new approach, one with a huge gamble and a potential mortality of 200%. A 3 year old boy had a VSD repair whilst his circulation has supported by direct cannulation to his father, All went well, the child lived to be 67. Over the next year 45 similar surgeries were performed, with 20 of the children living to at least 50. No parents were harmed in the process. #beforebypassmachines #letsmakelemonade
Pen Paint and Scalpel 