Management of Anesthesia and Hypothermia for Open Heart Surgery With Extracorporeal Circulation

A Century of Technology in Anesthesia & Analgesia

“…57,58 Temperature probes, along with continuous ECG and EEG recording, would contribute to the feasibility of open-heart surgery with hypothermia and extracorporeal circulation in the late 1950s. 59,60 Finally, examination of cardiac electrical activity gave way to the novel use of electricity as a treatment for cardiac arrest in the 1950s. While open cardiac massage was still the mainstay of resuscitation, 61,62 the introduction of external pacemakers and defibrillators began to obviate the need for thoracotomy in some cases of arrest.…”

“…57,58 Temperature probes, along with continuous ECG and EEG recording, would contribute to the feasibility of open-heart surgery with hypothermia and extracorporeal circulation in the late 1950s. 59,60…”

Management of Anaesthesia, Perfusion and Supportive Care During Open Intracardiac Operations and Extracorporeal Circulation

“…There is ample evidence that a variety of anaesthetic agents and techniques have proved to be satisfactory (Gain, 1957;Matthews et al, 1957;Mendelsohn et al, 1957;Patrick et aL, 1957;Bourgeois-Gavardin et al, 1958;Keats et aL, 1958;Norlander et al, 1958;Musicant et aL, 1959). As a general principle, first choice must be the agent and technique with which the individual anaesthetist is most familiar.…”

“…In our practice, during this period the lungs are not ventilated but are left slightly inflated with equal parts of helium and oxygen. Some prefer to ventilate the lungs (Bourgeois-Gavardin et al, 1958) while others leave them collapsed and unventilated (Keats et al, 1958).…”