F. John Lewis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Floyd John Lewis 1916 |
| Died | September 20, 1993 (aged 76–77) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Open heart surgery |
| Medical career | |
| Institutions | University of Minnesota |
Floyd John Lewis (1916 – September 20, 1993) was an American surgeon who performed the first successful open heart operation, closing an atrial septal defect in a 5-year-old girl, on 2 September 1952.[1] For the next 3 years, Lewis and colleagues operated on 60 patients with atrial septal defects using hypothermia and inflow occlusion.[2] He was best friends with C. Walton Lillehei and they worked together at the University of Minnesota.[3]
In 1956, Lewis moved on from Minnesota to Northwestern University where he became the first full-time member of the faculty of surgery. At Northwestern, Lewis continued investigating the use of hypothermia in the operating room. Lewis later trained Thomas Starzl, who was completing a fellowship in cardiovascular surgery at Northwestern, and helped him to win a Markle Scholarship.[4]
After being passed up for the Chair of Surgery position, Lewis departed for Santa Barbara in 1976 where he engaged in new careers: writing, hiking and mountain-climbing essays, and publishing a pamphlet entitled Bicycling Santa Barbara. He died on 20 September 1993 in Santa Barbara of sepsis.[5]
References
- ↑ Fedak, PW (1998). "Open hearts. The origins of direct-vision intracardiac surgery". Texas Heart Institute Journal. 25 (2): 100–111. PMC 325520. PMID 9654653.
- ↑ Moller, JH; Shumway SJ; Gott VL (September 2009). "The first open-heart repairs using extracorporeal circulation by cross-circulation: a 53-year follow-up". Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 88 (3): 1044–6. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2009.05.077. PMID 19699962.
- ↑ Gott, VL (June 2005). "Lillehei, Lewis, and Wangensteen: the right mix for giant achievements in cardiac surgery". Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 79 (6): S2210-3. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2005.02.078. PMID 15919253.
- ↑ Shumway, NE (September 1999). "C. Walton and F. John". Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 68 (3 Suppl): S34-6. doi:10.1016/s0003-4975(99)00814-0. PMID 10505989.(subscription required)
- ↑ Shumway, NE (January 1996). "F. John Lewis, MD: 1916-1993". Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 61 (1): 250–1. doi:10.1016/0003-4975(95)00768-7. PMID 8561575.