History of Pediatric Devices for Mechanical Circulatory Support

Abstract

The pioneers that blazed the trail for the development of circulatory support devices were highly motivated to develop technology so that they could operate on pediatric patients with congenital heart diseases. Without diagnostic imaging or cardiopulmonary bypass, surgeons could only guess at a diagnosis and attempt to surgically repair the tiny pediatric heart within minutes. Step by step, the window to operate was extended by introducing hypothermia, novel oxygenators, and ultimately with cleverly designed pumps. Cardiopulmonary bypass was the product of pediatric surgeons and engineers. This chapter reviews many of the events and pioneers that led to the birth of pediatric circulatory support.