Page 6 - An Innovation Spirit ...

firsts HiSToRy

“It’s truly amazing the number of patients across Canada and a constant and unrelenting focus at the root of the aorta, the main
of world and Canadian ‘firsts’ around the globe, Dr. Rubin says,
that have happened here,” says with more recent firsts focusing on innovation,” he says. blood vessel coming out of the
Barry Rubin, Medical Director of on complex angioplasty and
the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre stenting procedures that make Cardiac surgeon Dr. Tirone heart. It remains the worldwide
(PMCC) and Professor of Surgery surgery less invasive.
at the University of Toronto. David has made history himself standard for treating the
“We’ve changed the way that “We’re moving from big
cardiac surgery is practised incisions to small incisions to no at PMCC since his arrival in 1979, condition.
everywhere.” incisions at all,” he comments,
noting that the ability to fix heart with a series of firsts that include Dr. David, 70, who was chief of
Dr. Rubin, a vascular surgeon valves, coronary
who started there in 1995, says arteries and a procedure named for him. cardiovascular surgery from 1980
that seminal technologies, aortic aneurysms
groundbreaking discoveries and this way means The David Operation, which he to 2011 and has completed more
leading figures in cardiac health “patients even in
at the PMCC “have influenced their 80s and 90s pioneered in 1988, preserves the than 15,000 operations, says
cardiovascular care across the can safely undergo
world today.” life-enhancing aortic valve in treating aneurysms that innovation, a collaborative
therapies.”
These include the invention approach
in 1950 of the first pacemaker, The almost 1,000
which millions of patients depend staff at the centre, and global
on to keep their hearts beating, part of the University
and the first use of hypothermia Health Network outreach are
to perform heart surgery in 1953, (UHN), follow three
both led by William (Bill) Bigelow, core operating “not encouraged,
a remarkable heart surgeon and principles that Dr.
founding chief of cardiovascular Rubin developed but expected”
surgery. The first unit in the world in consultation with
dedicated to the management his executive team: at the PMCC.
of patients after a heart attack they function in
was created at Toronto General multidisciplinary He’s brought his
Hospital in 1971. teams, try to use the
best equipment in procedures to
Such developments have the world and “have
saved and improved the lives 59 centres in 27

different countries

around the world,

marked on a

map in his office

corridor.

He was the

first clinician in

Canada to develop

a database of

patient care, which

revealed that the

centre’s surgeons

Dr. Tirone David, cardiac surgery pioneer had “unparalleled
clinical outcomes”

through their novel

PMCC 1950 First pacemaker 1977 First description of 1982 First surgery to map
World Dr. William (Bill) Bigelow was the DNA associated proteins potentially lethal arrhythmias
Firsts first to thread a wire in any human disease that did not require an incision in
though a patient’s Drs. Michael Sole and the heart This built on previous
1950 vein to the patient’s C.C. Liew described work where it was necessary
heart and deliver an the role of non-histone to cut open the heart muscle to
1935 First clinical electrical impulse that chromatin proteins, cure the arrhythmia, and led to
use of heparin caused the heart to which are important the development of non-invasive
Heparin stops blood beat when its own for gene structure and techniques to treat patients with
from clotting and electrical system had function, in patients life-threatening abnormal heart
is used worldwide failed. Millions of patients with excess heart rhythms, like ventricular tachycardia.
during the vast now depend on pacemakers muscle (hypertrophic
majority of open to keep their hearts beating. cardiomyopathy). 1980
hearts surgeries. The
first use of heparin 1960 1970 1976 First use of real-time
to treat a patient was ultrasound to assess the severity
by a team led by Dr. 1953 First use of hypothermia for 1962 First unit dedicated to the of narrowed blood vessels
Gordon Murray and heart surgery During the Second management of patients after Non-invasive ultrasound allows
Dr. Charles Best at World War, Dr. Bigelow noted that a heart attack opened with the physicians to determine how
Toronto Western soldiers with devastating injuries who support of Mr. Percy Gardiner, narrowed blood vessels are. The
Hospital. became very cold on the battlefield Toronto General Hospital (TGH) PMCC designed and built the first
could survive their injuries. By lowering Trustee. This unit was established device that could record blood
4 body temperature, at TGH by Drs. Kenneth Brown and flow in patients’ arteries in real
he was able to Robert MacMillan, focused nurses, time. These real-time frequency
safely stop the physicians and surgeons on the analyzers are now an integral
circulation, a care of patients with disease of the component of every ultrasound
discovery that heart (coronary) arteries and was the machine used to assess blood
made open precursor to all coronary intensive flow in arteries and veins.
heart surgery care units in the world today.
possible. Peter Munk Cardiac Centre