Milestones of the Heart: The Birth of Modern Cardiac Surgery
- 1953: J. Gibbon performs the first cardiac bypass on a human. The patient’s heart and lungs were stopped for 26 minutes during the operation.
- 1960: N. Shumway, a Stanford professor, performs a heart transplant on a dog.
- 1967: “A leap into the unknown guided by science.” C. Barnard performs the world’s first human heart transplant in South Africa.
– Patient: Louis Washkansky
– Donor: Denise Darvall - 1976: Cyclosporine is discovered, revolutionizing the field of transplantation.
Vincenzo Gallucci and the revolution in heart transplantation.
- 1959–1963: “I would very much like to become a surgeon…” He graduates in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Modena and begins his academic career at the Institute of Surgical Pathology in Padua.
- 1969: He founded the School of Cardiac Surgery and brings together young doctors and perfusionists at the Heart Transplant Center in Padua.
- 1978: He requests authorization from the Ministry of Health to launch heart transplant programs.
- 1985: November 13–14: “What a magical night, that night.” The first heart transplant in Italy is performed in Padua.
– Patient: Ilario Lazzari
– Donor: Francesco Busnello - 1991: He dies in a car accident near Verona.
