Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia

Message From the Chair Loren F. Hiratzka, MD Chair, Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia E-mail: [email protected]

encourage all council members to join us in production and of Vivien Thomas’ contributions to Dallas, Nov. 13–16, 2005, for Scientific Sessions cardiac surgical research. 2005. Thanks to our Program Committee, headed I On a local front, I encourage our council members to by Dr. Frank Sellke, we will have an unprecedented become active in their local American high number of abstract presentations, poster Association affiliates. Important initiatives in fund presentations, plenary sessions, cardiovascular raising and public education are carried out at the seminars, meet-the-expert sessions and how-to affiliate level. This funding drives the research and presentations in the areas of , educational activities of the AHA. In addition, vascular surgery and cardiovascular anesthesia. participation by clinicians and researchers in local Our council’s Vivien Thomas Young Investigator programs greatly improves the lay public’s Awards Competition will provide an opportunity to understanding of the importance of the AHA’s effort hear results from our trainees and young to reduce disability and death from cardiovascular investigators as they participate in cutting-edge diseases and stroke. research. Furthermore, as this is the tenth year of You may check our Web site for more information this competition, we will be highlighting the important regarding Scientific Sessions and affiliate locations contributions of Vivien Thomas at our council’s and activities. Feel free to contact me regarding reception and dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Eric ways that we can further enhance the value of your Hetzel, the producer of the HBO film “Something the membership in our council. Lord Made,” will present highlights from the

Vivien Thomas Young Investigator Award Finalists

he Council on Cardiovascular presented at the National American • Shafie Fazel, MD, MSc — Activation Surgery and Anesthesia is proud Heart Association meeting on Sunday, of c-kit Is Necessary for Mobilization Tto announce five finalists for the Nov. 13, at 3:45 PM, at the Dallas of Reparative Bone Marrow Vivien Thomas Young Investigator Convention Center, Room C155. The Progenitor Cells in Response to Award. This award was established to five finalists are: Ischemic Cardiac Injury recognize young investigators in cardio- • Danny Ramzy, MD — Role Of • Mihai Podgoreanu, MD — vascular science, and honors Vivien Endothelin-1 And Nitric Oxide Inflammatory Gene Polymorphisms Thomas, the long-unrecognized African Bioavailability In Transplant Related and Risk of Postoperative Myocardial American technician supporting the Vascular Injury: Comparative Effects Infarction Following Cardiac Surgery seminal work of Professor Alfred Blalock of Rapamycin and Cyclosporine at John Hopkins some 50 years ago. • Stephen Hendry II, MD — Myocardial • Munir Boodhwani, MD — High Dose Restoration with Embryonic Stem Cell Each finalist was selected based upon Atorvastatin Improves Transplantation in a Murine submission of a manuscript, which was Hypercholesterolemic Endothelial Myocardial Infarction Model reviewed by the Council Program Dysfunction Without Improving Committee. The winner of the Vivien The Council invites all to attend this Collateral-dependent Myocardial Thomas Young Investigator Award will diverse session covering cutting-edge Perfusion: Role of Endostatin and be selected after all finalists have science and technology. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors

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10th Anniversary of The Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia Vivien Thomas Young Investigator Award Loren F. Hiratzka, MD

ur council has placed In 1943, Dr. Helen Taussig, noted During the presentation, Dr. C. Rollins support of young cardiologist, approached Dr. Blalock Hanlon referred to him as “The Master” Oinvestigators as one of our highest and Vivien Thomas about the problem and “our colleague.” The portrait was priorities. At this year’s Scientific of “blue babies,” who shortly after birth hung opposite Dr. Blalock’s portrait in Sessions in Dallas, we will again enjoy became weak and “blue,” and the lobby of the Blalock Building. Five the presentations of our young eventually died. She wondered if there years later he was awarded an honorary investigators as they vie for our Vivien was a way to increase pulmonary blood doctorate and an appointment to the Thomas Young Investigator Awards. flow and improve arterial oxygen medical school faculty. This will mark the tenth year of our saturation levels. As described in a 1989 One of the surgical procedures sponsorship of this competition. Many article in the Washingtonian, by Katie developed by Vivien Thomas was the of those participating in the McCabe, Vivien Thomas retold the atrial septectomy for children with competition, as well as those in story: “The Professor and I just looked transposition of the great vessels. After attendance, may not be aware of the at each other. We knew we had the successfully completing the procedure namesake of this award, or of his answer in the Vanderbilt work” — the in a canine model, he surprised significance to surgical research. “failed” pulmonary hypertension model. Dr. Blalock by showing him the healed For the next year he worked to develop Vivien Thomas was a 19-year-old black heart. In the 1989 Washingtonian article, a laboratory model of tetralogy of carpenter’s apprentice in Nashville, Vivien Thomas described the scene: Fallot, then perfect the subclavian artery Tennessee, when in 1930 the to anastomoses “Neither he nor I spoke for some four Depression resulted in lost work and designed to increase blood flow through or five minutes while he stood there savings, and halted plans to attend the pulmonary artery. examining the heart, running the tip of college. He found a job as a laboratory his finger back and forth through the assistant to a young surgeon at On Nov. 29, 1944, a 9 lb. cyanotic girl moderate-size defect in the atrial , Alfred Blalock. was wheeled into the Johns Hopkins septum, feeling the healed edges of the Hospital operating theater. Dr. Blalock Vivien Thomas quickly mastered defect… Internal healing of the incision insisted that Vivien Thomas stand just concepts in anatomy and physiology was without a flaw. The sutures could behind his right shoulder to view and and worked tirelessly to accomplish not be seen from within, and on gross advise him, as the professor had only animal experiments examining examination the edges of the defect performed the procedure once, as responses to shock. He became were smooth and covered with Thomas’ assistant. The anastomosis was technically adept at surgical tasks to the endocardium. Dr. Blalock finally broke created, the vascular clamps removed, point where he could perform delicate the silence by asking, “Vivien, are you and the patient became “pink” beneath and small vascular anastomoses of sure you did this?” I answered in the the sheets. This was the first of many systemic arteries to pulmonary arteries affirmative, and then after a pause he “Blalock-Taussig shunts” and the in an attempt to create a model of said, “Well, this looks like something beginning of cardiac surgery. pulmonary hypertension. Unfortunately, the Lord made.” the model failed to produce pulmonary For many years, young surgical Eric Hetzel, the producer of the HBO hypertension. investigators learned and worked under film, “,” will the watchful eyes of Vivien Thomas in Vivien Thomas became indispensable to be the featured speaker at this year’s the research laboratories at Johns Dr. Blalock, and in 1941, when the council dinner-reception, at Scientific Hopkins. The respect that he latter moved to Johns Hopkins as Sessions. Join us as we celebrate the engendered was brought to light in surgeon-in-chief, Vivien Thomas also contributions of Vivien Thomas and of 1971, when he was presented a portrait moved to to carry on his this tenth anniversary of Vivien Thomas commissioned by those prominent and work in the Old Hunterian Laboratory. Young Investigator Award recipients. successful surgeons who he had trained.

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