F. John Lewis

Floyd John Lewis (1916–1993) was an American surgeon who performed the first successful open heart operation, closing an atrial spetal defect in a 5 year old girl, on September 2, 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, F. John continued investigating the use of hypothermia in the operating room.[4] Lewis later trained Thomas Starzl, who was completing a fellowship in cardiovascular surgery at Northwestern, and helped him to win a Markle Scholarship.[5]

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.[6] He died on September 20, 1993 in Santa Barbara of septicemia.

References

  1. Fedak, PW (1998). "Open hearts. The origins of direct-vision intracardiac surgery.". Tex Heart Inst J. 25 (2): 100–111. PMC 342471. PMID 325520.
  2. Moller, JH; Shumway SJ; Gott VL (September 2009). "The first open-heart repairs using extracorporeal circulation by cross-circulation: a 53-year follow-up.". Ann Thorac Surg 88 (3): 1044–6. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2009.05.077. PMID 19699962.
  3. Gott, VL (June 2005). "Lillehei, Lewis, and Wangensteen: the right mix for giant achievements in cardiac surgery.". Ann Thorac Surg 79 (6): S2210–3. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2005.02.078. PMID 15919253.
  4. Shumway, NE (September 1999). "C. Walton and F. John.". Ann Thorac Surg 68 (3 Suppl): S34–6. PMID 10505989.
  5. Shumway, NE (September 1999). "C. Walton and F. John.". Ann Thorac Surg 68 (3 Suppl): S34–6. PMID 10505989.
  6. Shumway, NE (January 1996). "F. John Lewis, MD: 1916-1993." 61 (1). pp. 250–1. doi:10.1016/0003-4975(95)00768-7. PMID 8561575.


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