Biography of c walton lillehei

American physician

Clarence Walton Lillehei (October 23, 1918 – July 5, 1999), was an American surgeon who pioneered open-heart surgery, as well as numerous techniques, equipment and prostheses for cardiothoracic surgery.^[1]

Background

Clarence (often called "Walt") Lillehei was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Clarence Ingvald Lillehei (1892-1973) and Elizabeth Lillian (Walton) Lillehei (1891-1973).

He attended West High School in Minneapolis in 1935.^[2] He attended the University of Minnesota at the age of 17. He earned four degrees at the University of Minnesota: a B.S. (with distinction) in 1939, an M.D.

(Alpha Omega Alpha) in 1942, a M.S. in physiology in 1951, and a Ph.D. in surgery in 1951.^[3][4]

Career

In 1944, Alfred Blalock at Johns Hopkins Hospital began successfully performing surgery on the great vessels around the heart to relieve the symptoms of tetralogy of Fallot, demonstrating