Cardiopulmonary bypass in the clinical setting is barely 40 years old.
Yet worldwide, it is used in the operating room in more than 500,000
cases a year. This broad acceptance is a tribute to the vision of gift
ed investigators who could see beyond the mere technical problems of p
erfused isolated organs. They integrated mechanical concepts, knowledg
e of materials, and sheer inventiveness with an appreciation of physio
logical issues to address the clinical needs of open-heart surgery.