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Robert H. Goetz: the surgeon who performed the first successful clinical coronary artery bypass operation
1Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55902, USA. konstantinov.igor@mayo.edu
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
|July 13, 2000
Abstract:
Robert H. Goetz performed the first successful clinical coronary artery bypass operation on May 2, 1960. He used a nonsuture technique to connect the right internal thoracic artery to the coronary artery by means of a modified Payr's cannula made of tantalum. The patency of the anastomosis was demonstrated angiographically and the patient remained free of angina pectoris for 1 year. It was an important and brave step forward, a step that was far ahead of its time. Unfortunately, his pioneering work was not appreciated and fell into oblivion.