C. Walton and F. John.

This paper is a brief biography of two of the most important contributors to the development of open heart surgery. In 1952, John Lewis performed the first successful open heart surgical procedure of any kind, repairing an atrial septal defect under general hypothermia in a 5-year-old girl. In March 1954, Walt Lillehei, utilizing controlled cross circulation, embarked on a series of 45 consecutive patients. The bubble oxygenator appeared in 1955, and open heart surgery was introduced to many of this nation's major medical centers.