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Ann Thorac Surg 2003;76:S2187
© 2003 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Supplement: Gibbon & His Heart-Lung Machine

Introduction

Herbert E. Cohn, MDa

a Department of Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

In 1931, while serving a research fellowship in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr John H. Gibbon, Jr, watched helplessly as a young woman died as a result of a massive pulmonary embolism. An inspiration occurred to him at that time, that if a machine existed that could temporarily take over the function of the heart and lungs, then the clot could be safely extracted and a life could be saved. Thus started an intensive investigatory effort that spanned more than 2 decades. Working initially with his wife Maly as his laboratory asssistant and then with colleagues and residents and engineers from the IBM Corporation, he ultimately developed the Gibbon heart-lung machine suitable for human use. On May 6, 1953, Dr Gibbon successfully closed an atrial septal defect in a teenage girl using total cardiopulmonary bypass. That was the first time that a machine was used successfully to take over completely the function of the heart and lungs. This signal event ushered in an era of cardiovascular surgery that enabled surgeons to treat a complex array of cardiovascular problems that had no known solution.

May of 2003 represented the 50th anniversary of this historic event. To commemorate this important contribution a one-day symposium, "Gibbon & His Heart-Lung Machine: 50 Years & Beyond," was held at Thomas Jefferson University on May 2, 2003. We were able to gather an outstanding faculty for this day. It consisted of former colleagues, friends, and students who were privileged to know and work with Dr Gibbon, and they offered reminiscences and a retrospective of Dr Gibbon the clinician, scientist, teacher, mentor, and friend.

In addition papers were delivered that detailed the development of the Gibbon heart-lung machine utilizing a vertical screen oxygenator, as well as the bubble oxygenator, the microporous hollow fiber oxygenator in use today, and advances in perfusion technology that have occurred during the past 50 years.

The afternoon presentations chronicled advances in various aspects of cardiovascular disease made possible by the availability of a reliable heart-lung machine. These included advances in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease, and heart failure.

We are proud to offer this supplement to the readership of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery to emphasize the importance of Dr Gibbon's contribution to medicine and surgery. Many of us felt that he should have been awarded the Nobel prize for his contribution but are heartened by his having been awarded the Lasker Award for Clinical Research in 1968. The citation used for the award stated: "The vast impact of Dr Gibbon's discovery on medical sciences exemplifies the way in which new knowledge gained from a single research project can trigger a chain reaction of inquiries leading to additional knowledge and ultimately to prevention and cure of human disease."

This supplement is offered to those of you who were unable to attend this symposium. It was made possible by the invaluable assistance of Dr Hank Edmunds, Editor, and Amy Bluemle of the editorial staff of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, and the generous support of the many contributors listed below. I am indebted to Dr Vincent Gott for his expert assistance and efforts to support this supplement as well as to Dr Donald C. Dafoe, Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Jefferson and Dr Paul C. Brucker, President of Thomas Jefferson University. I would particularly like to thank Diane Calder from Jefferson's Department of Surgery as well as Pauline Sylvester, Diane Walls, and Jeanne Cole from our Office of Continuing Medical Education for their able services in this project.

Supporters

This supplement was made possible by the generous support of

The Kynett Foundation

AetnaEdwards Lifesciences Corporation

Keystone/Independence Blue CrossMedical CV, Inc.St. Jude Medical





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