1938

In a landmark operation, Robert Edward Gross (Boston Children’s Hospital) successfully closed a patent ductus in seven-year-old girl (Richardson, 106). This ushered in the era of closed heart surgery (Miller, 30). Robb and Steinberg (NYC) develop practical method of visualization of heart chambers via catheterization (111). Patent ductus arteriosus = a congenital heart abnormality in which the ductus (a short vessel which joins the aorta and pulmonary artery near their origin at top of heart), which is supposed to close with the onset of respiration through the lungs within a week of birth, remains open; the ductus prevented the fetus from using its lungs while receiving oxygen through the placenta. The feasibility of ligaturing shut the ductus was propounded by John Munro in 1907, and Evans Graham was ready to do it in early 20s at St. Louis Children’s hospital, but his colleague wouldn’t refer him a suitable patient for operation (Morris, loc 795ff.)