Birth to adulthood – modern day congenital cardiac surgery

Abstract

Abstract The first Blalock-Taussig shunt (BTS) performed in 1944 marks the dawn of modern heart surgery and is an inspirational tale of diversity in healthcare. Helen Taussig, the conceptual pioneer of the BTS and one of the first women to study medicine at Harvard; Alfred Blalock, the surgeon; and Vivienne Thomas, a young African-American carpenter employed as a laboratory assistant. At the time of the first BTS in a human, Vivienne who had performed more than 200 shunts in dogs, stood on a step at Alfred s shoulder and coached him through the procedure step-by-step. At the time, the only other black employees at the institute were janitors. Alfred was nominated for a Nobel prize. Helen was elected the first female President of the American Heart Association. Vivienne s contribution went unrecognized publicly until 1976, when John Hopkins University presented him an honorary doctorate. In 2020, a year of confronting our social bias, we should honour and be inspired by this diverse team for their outstanding contribution to medical science. Today, we stand firmly on the shoulders of such bold and revolutionary giants and present a view on the current landscape of the specialty, a budding surgeon s approach to the congenital heart and the challenges faced by the patient and multidisciplinary team.