First successful human cardiac repair
Fencing injury - 1.5cm stab wound to right ventricle.
Frankfurt, Germany
'Surgery of the heart has probably reached
the limits set by nature to all surgery: no new method and no
discovery can overcome the natural difficulties that attend a
wound of the heart.'
Paget S. The Surgery of the Chest. London:
Wright, 1896:121
First resuscitation post injury using open
cardiac massage
Norway
First cardiorrhaphy in the US performed.
13 year old boy stabbed in the left 5th intercostal space.
Operated on a kitchen table, Montgomery, Alabama.
Hill LL. 'A report of a case of successful
suturing of the heart, and a table of 37 other cases of suturing
by different operations at various terminations, and the conclusions
drawn. Med Rec 846, Nov 29, 1902.
Djanelidze published a monograph
of his detailed review of 535 cases of cardiac injuries 'Cardiac
Injuries and Their Surgical Treatment'.
'It should also be mentioned
that the time chosen for reviewing the material was immensely
difficult. With the beginning of the war, our ties with the West
deteriorated. From 1918 to 1920, we were completely isolated from
Western science. After 1921, the normal delivery of the world's
medical journals was restored, but the communications with our
colleagues abroad remained difficult. It either took a long time
to receive a journal, an article or a book, or it was impossible.
Personal inquiries to many surgeons abroad were also troublesome.
Despite the numerous letters sent by me, only Professor Sauerbruch
informed me kindly about a case of heart injury operated by him.
However, the most unpleasant circumstance was the fact that our
medical journals ceased to exist and we did not know what was
done in our own country. Because of the difficulties mentioned
above, I would not dare to state that I gave an account of all
cases of surgical treatment that occurred from 1896 to 1921.'
Djanelidze YY. Cardiac injuries
and their surgical treatment [in Russian]. Leningrad: Leningrad
Medical Journal Co., 1927.
Djanelidze YY. Kamenchik MG. One thousand cases of surgical treatment
of heart injuries [in Russian]. Novii Khir Arkhiv 1941;49:100–20.
1967
Christian Barnard
First Heart Transplant
First reported successiful resuscitative
prehospital
thoracotomy
Houston, Texas, USA
First successful prehospital
resuscitative thoracotomy for cardiac stab wound, performed
by Sean Keogh, Royal Lonodn Hospital Helicopter Emergency Medical
Service.
London, UK
