Forest Dewey Dodrill | |
---|---|
Born |
Webster Springs, West Virginia |
January 26, 1902
Died | June 28, 1997 Baltimore, MD |
(aged 95)
Nationality | United States |
Fields | surgery |
Institutions | Harper University Hospital, Wayne State University |
Alma mater |
Harvard Medical School University of Michigan |
Known for | Open heart surgery |
Forest Dewey Dodrill (January 26, 1902 – June 28, 1997) born in Webster Springs, West Virginia was a doctor at Harper University Hospital at Wayne State University in Michigan who performed the first successful open heart surgery using a mechanical pump.
After receiving a bachelor's degree from West Virginia University in 1925, he attended Harvard Medical School, graduating in 1930. Dodrill was an intern and resident at Harper Hospital in Detroit where he became a staff surgeon. He did a thoracic surgical residency at the University of Michigan in the early 1940s, receiving a M.Ch. degree from in 1942.
On July 3, 1952 Dodrill completed the first successful open heart surgery on the left ventricle of Henry Opitek. He used a machine developed by himself and researchers at General Motors, the Dodrill-GMR, considered to be the first operational mechanical heart used while performing open heart surgery.