Wangensteen and Lillehei

Question 1

What was Owen H. Wangensteen (1898–1981)?

Answer 1

• a renowned surgeon from Minnesota who developed the “Wangensteen tube,” which used suction to aid patients with postoperative intestinal obstruction. This is a device which maintains a constant negative pressure to remove gases and fluids from the stomach and intestines after surgery
• he developed a program that required surgeons to conduct research, a marked departure from the norm in medical education and practice.

Question 2

Who was C. Walton Lillehei (1918-1999)?

Answer 2

• an American surgeon from Minnesota also who pioneered open-heart surgery, as well as numerous techniques, equipment and prostheses for cardiothoracic surgery.
• he participated in the world’s first successful open-heart operation using hypothermia.