Tomorrow, my heart valve completes its first year. In the course of doing a little research, it turns out that tomorrow is a day we can all celebrate.
On 21 September, 1960, Dr Albert Starr implanted the first successful artificial heart valve to replace Philip Amundson's failing mitral valve. Mr Amundson, as many of you know, was near death at the time but that first cage in ball valve restored his health and he lived for another 15 years when he died after falling from a ladder.
The surgery was performed at the University of Oregon Medical School in Portland. Mr Amundson was a 52 year old farmer dying from a scarred and deformed heart valve as a result of childhood rheumatic fever. The procedure went well and newspapers throughout the world reported the success of the “miraculous” heart surgery. By all accounts, Mr Amundson enjoyed a healthy and productive life until his sudden death. That first valve was designed by Dr Starr working with Mr Lowell Edwards, an electrical engineer interested in building an artificial heart.
I think it is always good to know where we came from and what we are apart of, so, 21 September, 1960; the birth of our community!
If you would like to read more, here is a link to the best article I found and from which the photo is taken and much of the information:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC325574/pdf/thij00023-0065.pdf
Happy 50th Anniversary, Everyone, Happy Philip Amundson Day!
On 21 September, 1960, Dr Albert Starr implanted the first successful artificial heart valve to replace Philip Amundson's failing mitral valve. Mr Amundson, as many of you know, was near death at the time but that first cage in ball valve restored his health and he lived for another 15 years when he died after falling from a ladder.
The surgery was performed at the University of Oregon Medical School in Portland. Mr Amundson was a 52 year old farmer dying from a scarred and deformed heart valve as a result of childhood rheumatic fever. The procedure went well and newspapers throughout the world reported the success of the “miraculous” heart surgery. By all accounts, Mr Amundson enjoyed a healthy and productive life until his sudden death. That first valve was designed by Dr Starr working with Mr Lowell Edwards, an electrical engineer interested in building an artificial heart.
I think it is always good to know where we came from and what we are apart of, so, 21 September, 1960; the birth of our community!
If you would like to read more, here is a link to the best article I found and from which the photo is taken and much of the information:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC325574/pdf/thij00023-0065.pdf
Happy 50th Anniversary, Everyone, Happy Philip Amundson Day!
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