1954: GM plays a role in creating the first mechanical heart pump.
- Conceived by Detroit surgeon in 1952 to aid open heart surgery
- Engineered and built by GM Laboratories
- First successful use later that same year
- Catalyst for continuous advancement in heart surgery to this day
General Motors has made significant contributions to society in important areas besides automotive. One such example is the development of a machine that would temporarily replace the blood-pumping function of the heart, making open heart surgery possible for the first time.
Dr. Forest Dodrill, a surgeon at Wayne State University's Harper Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, first envisioned the mechanical heart pump in 1952. He called upon GM Research Laboratories for help. The result was the Dodrill-GMR Mechanical Heart, built by GM laboratories with funding from the American Heart Association. Its first successful use occurred later that same year, on a 41-year-old man.
The Dodrill-GMR Mechanical Heart set into motion a tidal wave of research and medical advances. Since its revolutionary introduction, more than a million successful open heart surgeries have been performed worldwide.
Dr. Forest Dodrill, a surgeon at Wayne State University's Harper Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, first envisioned the mechanical heart pump in 1952. He called upon GM Research Laboratories for help. The result was the Dodrill-GMR Mechanical Heart, built by GM laboratories with funding from the American Heart Association. Its first successful use occurred later that same year, on a 41-year-old man.
The Dodrill-GMR Mechanical Heart set into motion a tidal wave of research and medical advances. Since its revolutionary introduction, more than a million successful open heart surgeries have been performed worldwide.