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Medical Specialty

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Surgical Specialties
Origin The Norwegian surgeon Axel Cappelen performed the first known surgery on the heart itself on September 4, 1895, in Oslo, ligating a bleeding coronary artery in a stabbing victim; the field advanced through Henry Souttar's 1925 mitral valve surgery and the Blalock-Taussig-Thomas team's first successful pediatric cardiac operation in 1944.

Cardiothoracic surgery, encompassing cardiac and thoracic surgery, is the surgical specialty treating conditions of the heart, great vessels and organs within the chest, including coronary artery disease, valve disease and lung cancer. This atlas records what the historical record supports and is not medical advice.

Facts
Origin PeriodSourced to the subject's own account
The Norwegian surgeon Axel Cappelen performed the first known surgery on the heart itself on September 4, 1895, in Oslo, ligating a bleeding coronary artery in a stabbing victim; the field advanced through Henry Souttar's 1925 mitral valve surgery and the Blalock-Taussig-Thomas team's first successful pediatric cardiac operation in 1944. 2
Classification
Type/Classification
Surgical Specialty 1
Connections

Associated With

Cardiology, Medical Specialties
Cardiopulmonary Bypass, Treatments
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Treatments
Development of Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, Discoveries
Development of the Heart-Lung Machine, Discoveries
Heart Transplantation, Treatments
Heart Valve Repair, Treatments

Cardiothoracic surgery practice

Heart Valve Replacement, Treatments

Cardiothoracic surgery practice

Lung Transplantation, Treatments
Total Artificial Heart, Treatments

Cardiothoracic surgery practice

Notable Specialists

Adib Jatene, Healers
Source Adib Jatene (Wikipedia)
Adrian Kantrowitz, Healers
Source Adrian Kantrowitz (Wikipedia)
Ake Senning, Healers

Cardiac surgeon who performed the first implanted pacemaker operation in 1958.

Alfred Blalock, Healers

Alfred Blalock developed the Blalock-Taussig shunt, pioneering cardiac surgery.

Axel Haverich, Healers
Source Axel Haverich (Wikipedia)
Bill Frist, Healers
Source Bill Frist (Wikipedia)
C. Walton Lillehei, Healers
Source C. Walton Lillehei (Wikipedia)
Chiaki Mukai, Healers
Source Chiaki Mukai (Wikipedia)
Christiaan Barnard, Healers

Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant.

Christian Cabrol, Healers
Source Christian Cabrol (source article)
Clarence Crafoord, Healers
Source Clarence Crafoord (source article)
Daniel Hale Williams, Healers

Daniel Hale Williams performed one of the first successful pericardium surgeries.

David H. Adams, Healers
Source David H. Adams (source article)
Denton Cooley, Healers

Denton Cooley performed the first implantation of a total artificial heart.

Devi Shetty, Healers
Source Devi Shetty (Wikipedia)
Dwight Harken, Healers
Source Dwight Harken (Wikipedia)
Edward Delos Churchill, Healers
Source Edward Delos Churchill (source article)
Ferdinand Sauerbruch, Healers
Source Ferdinand Sauerbruch (Wikipedia)
Giancarlo Rastelli, Healers
Source Giancarlo Rastelli (Wikipedia)
Gilles Dreyfus, Healers
Source Gilles Dreyfus (source article)
Henry Heimlich, Healers
Source Henry Heimlich (Wikipedia)
Leonard Lee Bailey, Healers
Source Leonard Lee Bailey (Wikipedia)
Ludwig Rehn, Healers
Source Ludwig Rehn (Wikipedia)
Maurice Neligan, Healers
Source Maurice Neligan (Wikipedia)
Michael DeBakey, Healers

Michael DeBakey was a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who invented the roller pump.

Nikolai Amosov, Healers
Source Nikolai Amosov (Wikipedia)
Norman Barrett, Healers
Source Norman Barrett (Wikipedia)
Norman Bethune, Healers

Norman Bethune, a thoracic surgeon, developed a mobile blood transfusion service.

Norman Shumway, Healers

Norman Shumway is regarded as the father of heart transplantation in the United States.

Rafael Espada, Healers
Source Rafael Espada (Wikipedia)
Robert S. Poston, Healers
Source Robert S. Poston (source article)
Russell M. Nelson, Healers
Source Russell M. Nelson (source article)
Wilfred Gordon Bigelow, Healers
Source Wilfred Gordon Bigelow (Wikipedia)
Zbigniew Religa, Healers
Source Zbigniew Religa (Wikipedia)

Treats

Aortic Aneurysm, Conditions

Cardiothoracic surgery practice

Atherosclerosis, Conditions
Congenital Heart Defect, Conditions

Cardiothoracic surgery practice

Heart Failure, Conditions

Cardiothoracic surgery practice

Lung Cancer, Conditions
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Medical specialty
WikipediaClassification table
Quote, Classification table
Surgical specialties focus on manually operative and instrumental techniques to treat disease.
View the Source
2. Cardiac Surgery (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • Lead section
    Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is a surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons.
  • History section, 19th century subsection
    The first surgery on the heart itself was performed by Axel Cappelen on 4 September 1895 at Rikshospitalet in Kristiania, now Oslo.
View the Source
Ferdinand Sauerbruch (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Ferdinand Sauerbruch, Biography section, thorax medicine
Quote, Notable Specialists: Ferdinand Sauerbruch, Biography section, thorax medicine
allowed heart and lung operations to take place at greatly reduced risk
View the Source
Bill Frist (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Bill Frist, Lead paragraph [in-group]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Bill Frist, Lead paragraph [in-group]
trained as a cardiothoracic transplant surgeon
View the Source
Leonard Lee Bailey (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Leonard Lee Bailey, Lead paragraph [in-group]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Leonard Lee Bailey, Lead paragraph [in-group]
recognized for transplantation and all types of pediatric and infant-open heart surgeries
View the Source
Henry Heimlich (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Henry Heimlich, Lead, field of work
Quote, Notable Specialists: Henry Heimlich, Lead, field of work
was an American thoracic surgeon and medical researcher
View the Source
Zbigniew Religa (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Zbigniew Religa, Lead
Quote, Notable Specialists: Zbigniew Religa, Lead
was a Polish cardiac surgeon and politician
View the Source
Nikolai Amosov (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Nikolai Amosov, Lead
Quote, Notable Specialists: Nikolai Amosov, Lead
heart surgeon, inventor, best-selling author
View the Source
Adrian Kantrowitz (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Adrian Kantrowitz, Lead
Quote, Notable Specialists: Adrian Kantrowitz, Lead
was an American cardiac surgeon
View the Source
Devi Shetty (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Devi Shetty, Opening summary [in-group]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Devi Shetty, Opening summary [in-group]
Indian cardiac surgeon
View the Source
C. Walton Lillehei (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: C. Walton Lillehei, Lead sentence of the English Wikipedia article [specialist-in]
Quote, Notable Specialists: C. Walton Lillehei, Lead sentence of the English Wikipedia article [specialist-in]
numerous techniques, equipment and prostheses for cardiothoracic surgery
View the Source
Chiaki Mukai (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Chiaki Mukai, Early life and education, board certification
Quote, Notable Specialists: Chiaki Mukai, Early life and education, board certification
board certified as a cardiovascular surgeon, Japan Surgical Society, 1989
View the Source
Christian Cabrol (source article)
Notable Specialists: Christian Cabrol, Lead section [in-group]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Christian Cabrol, Lead section [in-group]
best known for performing Europe's first heart transplant at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in 1968
View the Source
Norman Barrett (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Norman Barrett, Lead and biography [specialist-in]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Norman Barrett, Lead and biography [specialist-in]
Australian-born English thoracic surgeon
View the Source
Maurice Neligan (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Maurice Neligan, Lead, first sentence
Quote, Notable Specialists: Maurice Neligan, Lead, first sentence
was an Irish heart surgeon, activist
View the Source
Wilfred Gordon Bigelow (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Wilfred Gordon Bigelow, Article text [specialist-in]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Wilfred Gordon Bigelow, Article text [specialist-in]
was a Canadian heart surgeon known for his role in developing the artificial pacemaker
View the Source
Ludwig Rehn (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Ludwig Rehn, Lead paragraph [specialist-in]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Ludwig Rehn, Lead paragraph [specialist-in]
first surgeon to perform a successful heart surgery
View the Source
Adib Jatene (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Adib Jatene, Lead [specialist-in]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Adib Jatene, Lead [specialist-in]
university professor, scientist and thoracic surgeon
View the Source
Giancarlo Rastelli (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Giancarlo Rastelli, Lead sentence [specialist-in]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Giancarlo Rastelli, Lead sentence [specialist-in]
was an Italian-born cardiac surgeon who worked for the University of Parma and the Mayo Clinic
View the Source
Dwight Harken (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Dwight Harken, Lead paragraph
Quote, Notable Specialists: Dwight Harken, Lead paragraph
He was an innovator in heart surgery
View the Source
Rafael Espada (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Rafael Espada, Lead [in-group]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Rafael Espada, Lead [in-group]
is a retired cardiothoracic surgeon and politician
View the Source
Clarence Crafoord (source article)
Notable Specialists: Clarence Crafoord, Lead [specialist-in]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Clarence Crafoord, Lead [specialist-in]
Crafoord was professor of thoracic surgery at Karolinska Institute from 1948 to 1966.
View the Source
Gilles Dreyfus (source article)
Notable Specialists: Gilles Dreyfus, Lead and biography [specialist-in]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Gilles Dreyfus, Lead and biography [specialist-in]
Professor of cardio-thoracic surgery at Imperial College School of Medicine
View the Source
David H. Adams (source article)
Notable Specialists: David H. Adams, Lead sentence [specialist-in]
Quote, Notable Specialists: David H. Adams, Lead sentence [specialist-in]
Chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
View the Source
Russell M. Nelson (source article)
Notable Specialists: Russell M. Nelson, Article text
Quote, Notable Specialists: Russell M. Nelson, Article text
He spent the next twenty-nine years working in the field of cardiothoracic surgery.
View the Source
Robert S. Poston (source article)
Notable Specialists: Robert S. Poston, Lead sentence [specialist-in]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Robert S. Poston, Lead sentence [specialist-in]
nationally recognized for his work in robot-assisted cardiothoracic surgery
View the Source
Edward Delos Churchill (source article)
Notable Specialists: Edward Delos Churchill, Article body [specialist-in]
Quote, Notable Specialists: Edward Delos Churchill, Article body [specialist-in]
known for his work in thoracic surgery
View the Source
Axel Haverich (Wikipedia)
Notable Specialists: Axel Haverich, Biography
Quote, Notable Specialists: Axel Haverich, Biography
medical director of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplant and Vascular Surgery
View the Source
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