Pioneers of congenital heart surgery in India: historical perspective: Mumbai - The Gateway of Congenital Heart Surgery to India

Abstract

Congenital heart surgery was born in the USA and then spread all over the world in the second half of the twentieth century. The speciality was brought to India by foreign-trained Indian surgeons as well as American and Canadian missionary surgeons. The first generation Indian surgeons were trained in the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In this article, an attempt is made to explore how the pioneer surgeons established this speciality in India by reviewing the published literature, visiting institutions of historical significance, and also interviewing few surgeons who took the key role in both laying the foundation as well as training the next generation surgeons.

Keywords: Congenital; Heart; History; India; Surgery.

Fig. 1

Masina Hospital, Byculla

Fig. 2

Dastur Heart Lung machine with disc oxygenator

Fig. 3

Dr. Radhakrishna Padhi

Fig. 4

First list of cardiac surgery trainees of CMCH Vellore

Fig. 5

First operation register of CMCH Vellore

Fig. 6

Stanley John with Walton Lillehei in Minneapolis

Fig. 7

Baby Yatharth, the first paediatric cardiac transplant

Fig. 8

First congenital heart operation in Puttaparthy by Prof. Venugopal and Dr. KS Iyer

Fig. 9

3D print of first Senning’s operation after 28 years

Fig. 10

First ALCAPA with patent left subclavian-left coronary anastomosis on CT angio after 28 years