Two Hundred Years of Surgery

Episode 5: Opening the Heart

June 26, 2019 • 50 min

Cardiac surgery is the most recently developed of all surgical fields, and had not even been performed 70 years ago. Doctors generally have two preconditions for surgery: the organ being operated on must be still, and the surgical field must be clear and bloodless. Operating on the heart goes directly against these principles. It seemed an impossible task, until an idea initially dismissed as fanciful brought a glimmer of hope.