Galen: The First Cardiac Surgeon?

It is widely believed that the first and the second pericardium surgeries were done in the nineteenth century by Francisco Romero and Dominique Jean Larrey, respectively; however, Galen was the first surgeon who proceeded with pericardiectomy. This ancient case report of sternum osteomyelitis and pericardiectomy illuminates some dark part of the history of medicine and the ability of physicians in that era.

First steps in the management of pericardial effusion: who was first to relieve the pericardial sac--Larrey or Romero?

Early reports told us that the first pericardiotomy was performed by Baron Dominique Jean Larrey, Napoleon's chief military surgeon. In this article, we reveal a previous operation of that kind and its publication by Francisco Romero, who had a 9-year head start over Larrey's performance. The aim of this article was to briefly review the two-century-old history of pericardial fenestration.