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Advancements in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Murray
Advancements in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: MurrayGordon Murray made two major advances in CABG surgery. First, he introduced a powerful anticoagulant (a blood thinner), called heparin. Next, he reported initial success in dogs, in the suturing of a graft to the coronary artery. Clinical study was delayed however, because of the few and primitive angiography techniques available at the time. -
First External Pacemaker
First External PacemakerIt was developed by Canadian John Alexander Hopps (1919-1998). He discovered that if a heart stopped beating because it got too cold, it could get started again through artificial stimulation by mechanical or electric means. The pacemaker uses electrical impulses to regulate the beating of the heart. -
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Development of the Heart-Lung Machine
Development of the Heart-Lung MachineThe machine was gradually designed and modified during this time, using mechanical devices to ump the blood and restore the oxygen content. At first it was used to correct congenital anomalies of the heart, but it was spread to other heart operations as improvements were made to the design. It allowed the heart to remain motionless during surgery, making the surgeries much easier to perform. -
Immunosuppressants
ImmunosuppressantsKeith Reemtsma showed for the first time how immunosuppressive agents could prolong heart transplant survival. -
First Pacemaker Implant
First Pacemaker ImplantThe first pacemaker was developed by Dr. Rune Elmqvist implanted by Dr. Ake Senning. The patient to receive the device was Arne Larsson, and after receiving the pacemaker, he had to receive 26 more over the years, but still he survived until 2002, dying at the age of 86. -
First Artificial Heart Valve
First Artificial Heart ValveAlbert Starr and his colleges performed the first successful valve replacement. Before the artificial valve was developed, no patient had ever lived longer than 3 months after receiving a valve replacement. But once the new one was developed, many lived for at least 40 years after the surgery. Today, it is the second-most common heart surgery in the US. -
First Human Heart Transplant
First Human Heart TransplantSurgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant in Cape Town, South Africa, on a 53 year old man who was dying from chronic heart disease. After receiving the heart, the man survived for 18 days, but he didn't die because of the heart. Because he needed many immunosuppressants to keep his body from rejecting the heart, he caught pnemonia and died from it. -
First Completely Artificial Heart Implantation
First Completely Artificial Heart ImplantationThe first artificial heart was implanted in a human by Dr. Denton Cooley. It was implanted on a temporary basis, the first permanent one not getting implanted until 1982. -
First Implantable Defibrillator
First Implantable DefibrillatorTo correct an abnormal heartbeat which results in a lack of blood getting to the brain and body, the implantable defibrillator corrects the irregular rhythm, allowing the correct amount of blood to get pumped. Originally it was about the size of a deck of cards, but it has gotten smaller and smaller overtime, while still keeping the same essential technology. -
First Permanent Artificial Heart
First Permanent Artificial HeartThe first permanent artificial heart was designed by Robert Jarvick, and first implanted in 1982, with many patients receiving it since. -
First Successful Pediatric Heart Transplant
First Successful Pediatric Heart Transplant This procedure was first performed on a four-year-old boy at Colombia University. He had to receive another transplant in 1989, but he continues to live productively. -
First US Beating Heart Transplant
First US Beating Heart TransplantThis procedure was first performed in the US by a man named Kenneth McCurry. It involves taking a beating heart from a brain-dead person, and storing it in a special box, called the Organ Care System, which gives the heart the blood supply it needs to keep pumping until it gets transported to the place it's needed, instead of keeping it on ice and it only lasting a few hours.
