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John H. Gibbon, Jr.

American surgeon

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John H. Gibbon, Jr. was an American surgeon who pioneered open-heart surgery. In 1953, he performed the first successful open-heart procedure using a heart-lung machine, a device that allows circulation and oxygenation of blood outside the body. This innovation enabled surgeons to operate on a still, dry heart, making previously inoperable procedures, such as repairing valvular disease and congenital heart defects, possible. Gibbon's groundbreaking work with the heart-lung machine, which he helped develop, revolutionized cardiac surgery and paved the way for numerous life-saving interventions.12

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  1. open-heart surgery
  2. artificial heart

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