Origin of the helical reservoir bubble oxygenator heart-lung machine

Open-heart surgery was not possible before the early 1950s. Such surgery awaited the development of cardiopulmonary bypass. The development of controlled cross-circulation at the University of Minnesota in 1953 was a major contributing factor towards operating safely on the interior of the heart. Cross-circulation required connecting a donor's arterial and venous blood vessels to those of a smaller recipient whose heart could then be opened for corrective surgery. At that time, no mechanical system was available to serve the role of the donor. The need to replace the donor as soon as possible was recognized. The author has recounted his experience with the development of a bubble oxygenator system, which replaced the donor as was used in cross-circulation open-heart surgery.