Our accomplishments in patient care (firsts) for Charlotte and the Mid-Western Art of North Carolina:
1946 Pulmonary and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy
1947 Surgical treatment of infectious lung disease
1948 Surgical treatment of lung cancer and inflammatory disease of the esophagus
1949 Surgical treatment of esophageal cancer
1950 Contrast studies (angiograms) for aneurysms of the abdominal aorta. Purchase of the first respirator.
1951 Contrast studies (angiograms) for peripheral artery disease. First resection of aortic aneurysm.
1952 First operation (endarterectomy) for peripheral arterial disease. Ligation of patent duct.
1953 Surgical management of mitral stenosis
1954 Manufacture and first application of synthetic arteries
1955 Establishment of a separate department of thoracic surgery
1956 Building of the heart/lung machine. Closed operations for congenital heart disease
1957 Establishment of heart catheterization laboratory. First open heart operation for congenital heart disease.
1959 Cava pulmonary anastomosis for corrected transposition. Surgery on complex congenital malformations
1960 First heart valve heart replacements
1961 Establishment of kidney dialysis service
1963 Usage of external pacemakers
1967 Implantation of first pacemaker
1970 Coronary cineangiography
1971 First coronary bypass operation
1974 First kidney transplant. Initiation of heart surgery in Honduras.
1975 Initiation of heart surgery in Guatemala
1975 Heineman doctors and technicians went to Guatemala City to help set up the Heart Unit at Roosevelt Hospital.
1976 Opening of the diagnostic electrophysiological laboratory
1981 Coronary angioplasty
1982 Peripheral artery angioplasty. Establishment of arrhythmia surgery service
1983 Endovascular laser
1987 Heart transplantation. Laser ablation of arrhythmia. Neonatal cardiac surgery. Cardiac valvuloplasty.
1988 Extracorporal oxygenation in the newborn.
1989 Coronary atherectomy.
1990 Neonatal heart transplantation
1992 Peripheral atherectomy
1993 Intracoronary laser
1994 Rotoblator. Coronary stents
1995 Peripheral artery stents. Implantable artificial heart
1996 New protective methods for accidental HIV and hepatitis exposure
1997 Advances in instrumentation for least invasive Cardiac Surgery
1998 Advances in Heart Preservation
1999 New Valve repairing procedures with a new aortic prosthesis
2000 New surgical applications for Angiogenesis