Stanford Cardiac Timeline
1958
Dr. Norman E. Shumway began studying cardiac transplantation, building on his research in total body hypothermia.
1960
Dr. Shumway performed the first human open-heart surgery at the Palo Alto-Stanford Hospital to correct atrial septal defect.
1961
Dr. Shumway designed and executed the operation to replace the aortic valve with the patient’s own pulmonary valve in animals (known today as the Ross procedure).
1968
Dr. Shumway and his surgical team performed the first successful adult human heart transplant in the United States. The first coronary artery bypass surgery was performed at Stanford.
1981
Dr. Bruce Reitz and his surgical team performed the world’s first combined adult human heart-lung transplant.
1984
Dr. Philip Oyer performed implantation of the world’s first successful use of a ventricular assist device as a bridge to transplantation.
1989
Stanford clinicians were first to use the “domino” heart transplant procedure.
1991
The first living lobar lung transplant was formed in the United States at Stanford.
2002
Stanford’s heart-lung transplantation team became the longest continually active team performing heart-lung transplantation in the world.