JG
Top 0.01% — Titan Historical Figure
John Gibbon
Cardiac Surgery · Cardiac Surgery
Philadelphia, United States
100 Total Impact
Overview
John Gibbon is a cardiac surgery specialist at Jefferson Medical College. Based in Philadelphia.
For Patients
- Pioneered the Heart-lung machine (cardiopulmonary bypass), a technique still used by doctors worldwide
- Based at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, United States
Biography
John Gibbon was an American surgeon who invented the heart-lung machine, making open-heart surgery possible. In 1953, he performed the first successful open-heart operation using cardiopulmonary bypass.
Affiliations & Institutions
Areas of Expertise
Pioneering Techniques
Medical Specialties
Clinical Knowledge & Procedures
Legacy Timeline
The life and contributions of John Gibbon
1935
Began developing heart-lung machine
Started two decades of work to create a machine that could temporarily replace heart and lung function
1953
First open-heart surgery with heart-lung machine
Successfully repaired an atrial septal defect using his cardiopulmonary bypass machine
