Some General Thoracic Surgery Milestones

Note: The definitions of ‘first’ and ‘successful’ can be contentious in any branch of history, and the history of medicine is no exception. The dates and events listed below have at least some legitimate consensus behind them.

1882 First documented human pulmonary resection: a failure which led to suicide of the surgeon (H. M. Block)

1891 First partial lung resection (Theodore Tuffler)

1895 First documented successful pneumnectomy: a multiple stage cautery method (William Macewen)

1904 Low pressure ventilation chamber devised to maintain lung expansion during thoracotomy (Ferdinand Saurbruch)

1924 First successful pulmonary embolectomy (Martin Kirshner).

1929 First successful one-stage lobectomy (Harold Brunn)

1931 First successful one-stage ligation of entire pulmonary hilum (Rudolph Nissen)

1933 First successful one-stage pneumonectomy with mediastinal dissection and individual ligation of main vessels (William Reinhoff)

1938 First clinical use of mechanical ventilator, the Frecken "Spiropulsator" (Clarence Crafoord)

1941 First successful one-stage repair of congenital artresia of the esophagus with distal tracheoescophageal fistula (Cameron Haight)

1949 First report of radical pneumonectomy for lung cancer (P. R. Allison).

Compiled from the following sources:

- Radical Surgery for Lung Cancer, William H. Watson, Cancer 1956 9:1167-1172.

- The Magnificent Century of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Amer Chaikhouni, Heart Views, 2007 8:161-164.

Note: The definitions of ‘first’ and ‘successful’ can be contentious in any branch of history, and the history of medicine is no exception. The dates and events listed below have at least some legitimate consensus behind them.

1882 First documented human pulmonary resection: a failure which led to suicide of the surgeon (H. M. Block)

1891 First partial lung resection (Theodore Tuffler)

1895 First documented successful pneumnectomy: a multiple stage cautery method (William Macewen)

1904 Low pressure ventilation chamber devised to maintain lung expansion during thoracotomy (Ferdinand Saurbruch)

1924 First successful pulmonary embolectomy (Martin Kirshner).

1929 First successful one-stage lobectomy (Harold Brunn)

1931 First successful one-stage ligation of entire pulmonary hilum (Rudolph Nissen)

1933 First successful one-stage pneumonectomy with mediastinal dissection and individual ligation of main vessels (William Reinhoff)

1938 First clinical use of mechanical ventilator, the Frecken "Spiropulsator" (Clarence Crafoord)

1941 First successful one-stage repair of congenital artresia of the esophagus with distal tracheoescophageal fistula (Cameron Haight)

1949 First report of radical pneumonectomy for lung cancer (P. R. Allison).

Compiled from the following sources:

- Radical Surgery for Lung Cancer, William H. Watson, Cancer 1956 9:1167-1172.

- The Magnificent Century of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Amer Chaikhouni, Heart Views, 2007 8:161-164.

Note: The definitions of ‘first’ and ‘successful’ can be contentious in any branch of history, and the history of medicine is no exception. The dates and events listed below have at least some legitimate consensus behind them.

1882 First documented human pulmonary resection: a failure which led to suicide of the surgeon (H. M. Block)

1891 First partial lung resection (Theodore Tuffler)

1895 First documented successful pneumnectomy: a multiple stage cautery method (William Macewen)

1904 Low pressure ventilation chamber devised to maintain lung expansion during thoracotomy (Ferdinand Saurbruch)

1924 First successful pulmonary embolectomy (Martin Kirshner).

1929 First successful one-stage lobectomy (Harold Brunn)

1931 First successful one-stage ligation of entire pulmonary hilum (Rudolph Nissen)

1933 First successful one-stage pneumonectomy with mediastinal dissection and individual ligation of main vessels (William Reinhoff)

1938 First clinical use of mechanical ventilator, the Frecken "Spiropulsator" (Clarence Crafoord)

1941 First successful one-stage repair of congenital artresia of the esophagus with distal tracheoescophageal fistula (Cameron Haight)

1949 First report of radical pneumonectomy for lung cancer (P. R. Allison).

Compiled from the following sources:

- Radical Surgery for Lung Cancer, William H. Watson, Cancer 1956 9:1167-1172.

- The Magnificent Century of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Amer Chaikhouni, Heart Views, 2007 8:161-164.