25th anniversary of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the University Medical Center Maribor: advancing hearts, changing lives : A quarter century of commitment.

In 1996, Slovenia witnessed a profound transformation in its cardiac care landscape with the establishment of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the University Medical Centre Maribor. This momentous milestone heralded the birth of the nation's second heart surgery center revolutionizing cardiovascular care accessibility. Today, the Department of Cardiac Surgery stands as a regional hub, delivering specialized cardiac surgical services to Slovenia's northeastern region and beyond. Its unwavering commitment to excellence, patient-centered care, and adherence to international guidelines reflects its dedication to providing top-tier cardiac care. As the department commemorates its 25th anniversary, this article offers a reflective overview of its establishment, development, growth and future trajectory for further development in an ever-changing era of cardiovascular medicine. The article also highlights the department's active involvement in international collaborations, scientific research, medical education, and innovations in minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

Pioneer of Cardiothoracic Surgery - Luiz Tavares da Silva.

Luis Tavares revolutionized cardiac surgery, always bringing the most modern instruments and equipment from his travels to England - surgical forceps, scissors, scalpels, etc. He always insisted that he was not just a thoracic surgeon, for his work extended over a wide field and created three important cardiac surgery centers which promoted a great development of cardiology. He carried out the first open heart surgery (atrial septal defect) employing extracorporeal circulation and closure of a ventricular septal defect with deep surface hypothermia of north and northeast Brazil. He promoted an intense scientific exchange program between Recife and England, resulting in significant advances in medicine, and participated directly in the creation of HEMOPE), leading to radical changes and improvements in blood therapy in the whole country. The PROCAPE, inaugurated in 2006, was the result of the cardiac center created by him in early 1970 at Hospital Oswaldo Cruz and can be considered the second largest public-university cardiology center in Brazil. He is thus widely regarded as an outstanding name in medicine in the 20th century and one of the fathers of modern cardiac surgery in Brazil.

Origins and Evolution of Extracorporeal Circulation: JACC Historical Breakthroughs in Perspective.

Midway through the 20th century, direct open-heart operations were not yet a reality, awaiting safe methods to support the cardiopulmonary circulation during cardiac surgery. The scientific advancements collectively leading to safe cardiopulmonary bypass are considered some of the most impactful advances of modern medicine. Stimulated by the work of physiologists and engineers in the late 19th century, primitive pump and oxygenator designs were the forerunners of major work by DeBakey and others in roller pump design and by Gibbon in oxygenator development. Following Gibbon's historic successful closure of an atrial septal defect in 1953 with his heart-lung machine, it was left to Lillehei and Kirklin to first successfully repair large series of cardiac malformations. The history leading to these historic events and the subsequent evolution of cardiopulmonary bypass machines for short- and longer-term support is filled with engineering and surgical brilliance, daring innovations, and serendipity.

History of Surgery for Mitral Stenosis: John Mayow to Charles Bailey.

Mitral stenosis was first described in 1674 by Englishman John Mayow, but surgical intervention for mitral stenosis was proposed over 2 centuries later in 1898. Mitral valve surgery was undertaken in the 1920s with varying success; after 2 decades of staggered progress, mitral valvuloplasty and commissurotomy would be rediscovered by Americans Horace Smithy, Charles Bailey, and Dwight Harken. The evolution of open surgery for mitral stenosis suggests the troubled triumph of humanity over disease while also underlining surgeons' inability to successfully disseminate their pioneering ideas to a community critical of innovation.

What is in the Dash? An Examination of the Life and Contributions of John B. Flege, Jr., MD.

It is, indeed, a privilege to stand here before you this morning to give the annual Flege Lecture.  Dr. Sande Starnes has kindly supplied me with a list of prior visiting professors, who previously have had the honor to deliver this talk. When we examine the names of those who have been so honored, and note their many accomplishments, I cannot help but remember the words of Winston Churchill, who, when speaking of another person, could well have been speaking of me, when he described "a modest little person, with much to be modest about."

Surgery for Ventricular Tachycardia.

The treatment of drug-refractory chronic ventricular tachycardia (VT) has undergone a revolution over the last 50 years. We now have automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy with pace-terminating capabilities, and catheter ablation of VT has refined mapping and improved methods of lesion generation. Between 1980 and 1993, Houston Methodist Hospital became a leader in the diagnosis and surgical ablation of VT and other arrhythmias. This is a brief account of that period and some of the experiences and lessons that have led to significant advances used today.

The First Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellow, William A. Lell: A Brief History.

Fifty years ago, on August 1, 1971, William A. Lell became the first cardiac anesthesia fellow at Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Anesthesiology, training with the world's first group of anesthesiologists whose clinical practice, teaching, and research efforts were exclusively devoted to cardiac anesthesia. Lell's early interest in cardiovascular medicine and how mentors, particularly at the MGH, influenced his early career development are recounted. The challenges a young pioneer faced in establishing and maintaining an academic cardiac anesthesia program during the initial and rapid growth of an exciting new subspecialty are described. Dr Lell's experience emphasizes the importance of seizing new opportunities and establishing meaningful working relationships with colleagues based on mutual trust as fundamental to successful career development and research in a new medical subspecialty.

Vincenzo Gallucci: Memories of a Surgeon, Scientist, and Teacher.

Thirty years ago, Vincenzo Gallucci, MD, head of the Cardiovascular Surgery Institute of the University of Padua Medical School in Italy, died in a car accident at the age of 55 years. Vincenzo Gallucci was one of the most authoritative Italian cardiac surgeons, a fine, gentle, and extremely talented surgeon. He is credited with the first implant of a glutaraldehyde-fixed, stented porcine Hancock bioprosthesis in 1970 and with the first orthotopic heart transplantation performed in Italy in 1985. After 30 years, the memory of a great surgeon, scientist, and teacher is still alive, particularly in those who received his important heritage.

First Successful Open-Heart Surgery Utilizing Cross-Circulation in 1954.

A pioneering surgeon at the University of Minnesota, Dr C. Walton Lillehei, is still considered the "father of open-heart surgery". Dr Lillehei and his surgical team performed the first open-heart operations utilizing cross-circulation, including the first successful ventricular septal defect closure on a 3-year-old boy. Before his death at age 67, this patient arranged to donate his body to the University of Minnesota's Anatomy Bequest program. We describe this patient's medical history, and present unique images of internal/external cardiac anatomies and implanted devices obtained via direct visualizations, computed tomography, and fluoroscopy post-mortem. Additionally, we present computational models and 3-dimensional printed models.