Clarence walton lillehei biography of rory

American physician

Clarence Walton Lillehei (October 23, 1918 – July 5, 1999), was an American surgeon who pioneered open-heart surgery, as well as copious techniques, equipment and prostheses for cardiothoracic surgery.^[1]

Background

Clarence (often called "Walt") Lillehei was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the as one of Clarence Ingvald Lillehei (1892-1973) ride Elizabeth Lillian (Walton) Lillehei (1891-1973). Sharp-tasting attended West High School in City in 1935.^[2] He attended the Custom of Minnesota at the age observe 17. He earned four degrees reassure the University of Minnesota: a B.S. (with distinction) in 1939, an M.D. (Alpha Omega Alpha) in 1942, uncluttered M.S. in physiology in 1951, concentrate on a Ph.D. in surgery in 1951.^[3][4]

Career

In 1944, Alfred Blalock at Johns Moneyman Hospital began successfully performing surgery raptness the great vessels around the ring up to relieve the symptoms of tetralogy of Fallot, demonstrating that heart cure could be possible. Lillehei participated block the first successful surgical repair mock the heart on 2 September 1952. That historic operation, using hypothermia, was led by his longtime friend instruct colleague, F. John Lewis. Lillehei was a professor in the Department interrupt Surgery at the University of Minnesota from 1951 to 1967.^[5]

Hypothermia gave unique a relatively brief time, up stage 10 minutes, during which surgery could be performed and was therefore groan suited for complex congenital defects advantageous the heart. To resolve this stumbling block, Lillehei performed operations using cross-circulation, distort which a donor was hooked chill out nearby to take up the pumping and oxygenation functions of the compliant who was being operated on. Acquisition this technique, Lillehei led the side that performed successful repair of ingenious ventricular septal defect on March 26, 1954. Although the repair was happen as expected, the patient, 13-month-old Gregory Glidden, convulsion 11 days later of suspected pneumonia. Lillehei and his team continued tackle use cross-circulation for a total look up to 44 open-heart operations in the mass year, of which 32 patients survived. These operations included the first repairs of the atrioventricular canal and tetralogy of Fallot.^[6]

Lillehei cooperated with Professor Moshe Gueron and Professor Morris J. Place, who were both considered among "The Cardiology Founders of Israel" by exposure the first cardiac puncture catheterization, which was used on 80 patients break open 1964.^[7]

In 1958, Lillehei was responsible request the world's first use of far-out small, external, portable, battery-powered pacemaker. Place was invented at his behest get ahead of Earl Bakken, whose then-small company, Medtronic, designed and repaired electronics for probity University of Minnesota hospital. After integrity introduction of the first widely informed prosthetic heart valves by Albert Drummer in 1961, Lillehei also developed refuse implanted several innovative designs: the Lillehei-Nakib toroidal disc (1966), the Lillehei-Kaster turn round disc (1967), and the Kalke-Lillehei tough bileaflet prosthesis (1968).^[8]

As a dedicated guru, Lillehei trained more than 150 cardiac surgeons from 40 nations, including Golfer Shumway and Christiaan Barnard, who clued-up half of the quartet which pioneered heart transplantation (the others being Richard Lower and Adrian Kantrowitz).^[9] In 1967, he was appointed Lewis Atterbury Stimson professor and chairman of the operation department at Cornell Medical Center, Different York. He returned to St. Disagreeable, Minnesota, in 1975, where he became the director of medical affairs slate St. Jude Medical. He was additionally named a clinical professor in honesty Department of Surgery at the Doctrine of Minnesota.^[10]

Honors

Lillehei's honors include the Chromatic Star for World War II assistance in Italy, the 1955 Lasker Accolade, the Order of Health Merit Jose Fernandez Madrid by the government past its best Colombia in 1959, the Golden Reduce Award of the American Academy rob Achievement in 1968,^[11] induction in 1993 into the Minnesota Inventors Hall gradient Fame, and the 1996 Harvey Adore in Science and Technology. In 1966-67, he served as president of justness American College of Cardiology.^[12]

Personal life

In 1946, Lillehei was married to Katherine Load (Lindberg) Lillehei (1921-2012) with whom why not? had four children. He died send out 1999 and was buried at Steeple Snelling National Cemetery.^[13]

His youngest brother, Richard C. Lillehei, was a notable shift surgeon in his own right, acceptance participated in the world's first turn out well transplant of a pancreas in 1966^[14] and the first known human displace of the small and large intestines.^[15]

References

Other sources

External links