Charles Lindbergh’s famous…inventor?

Most people remember Charles Lindbergh’s uninterrupted solo flight across the Atlantic, which made him an international celebrity. If you are a history student, you may also know that he was the central figure in the controversial trial surrounding the kidnapping of his child, and even his dance was named after him. But did you know that he is also a co-inventor of a very important medical device? It turns out that medicine can thank Lindbergh for creating the perfusion pump.

What?

A perfusion pump is a device that allows organs to be maintained outside the body using oxygenated blood or a suitable similar.Researcher Alexis Carrel (Alexis Carrel) has a suitable simulated fluid and is confident that he can keep his organs alive in vitro, But unable to design the pump mechanism. Lindbergh met the mechanical challenge and invented the machine in 1935 with Karel.

Although they have not themselves become important figures in medicine, they are the pioneers of things that have saved countless lives like modern heart-lung machines. At the time, many people thought that Lindbergh’s future invention might be more famous than his transatlantic flight. But today not many people remember his medical invention.

Why Lindbergh?

If it turns out that Lindbergh has invented some equipment for pilots, it shouldn’t be surprising. But why is the perfusion pump? The story goes back to when his sister-in-law suffered heart damage due to rheumatic fever. The doctor said the damage is irreversible because the heart cannot survive long enough to perform the necessary surgery without pumping blood.

Of course, Lindbergh is known for challenging what can and cannot be done, and he wants to know why machines can’t keep the heart alive. Until he mentioned the idea to Paulel Flagg, an anesthesiologist, no one seemed to be very interested in the idea. He knew that Karel was working on it.

Partner

As everyone knows, Karel is a strange person. But if Charles Lindbergh wants a meeting, you accept it. The day after Lindy discovered Carrel, they met in his laboratory, where there have been two unsuccessful attempts to build a pump.

Lindbergh had some ideas and worked with the glass blower to make a prototype. Carrel was impressed with his laboratory and provided space. However, Lindberg’s reputation has always been a problem, and despite his efforts to keep a low profile, people are eager to see this famous flyer.

Karel has won the Nobel Prize for inventing vascular surgery. He also pioneered the use of chlorine to clean wounds, which was a big step forward before antibiotics were available. He is a little weird and insists that his laboratory assistant, for example, always wears black, obviously, holds some mysterious beliefs. After World War II, he died awaiting trial in France as a sympathizer of the Nazis.

trial

There are two key issues: circulation and avoiding bacterial infections. Lindbergh built an imperfect prototype, but it did keep the carotid artery alive for a month. Lindbergh in 1931 Published his results Not signed.

By 1935, the device was close to perfection. The device is glass and can be sterilized in an autoclave. Sterile cotton filters the incoming air. There are three rooms: this organ is in the top room. The lowest chamber contains the perfusate. Gravity pulls the liquid down until the liquid returns to where it started.

However, the liquid has nowhere to go, unlike the human body, which does not have kidneys to clean everything. This requires frequent fluid changes, which can cause contamination and threaten the sterility and stability of the system.

In 1935, the couple kept the cat’s organs alive for more than 18 days.The news impressed them so much that they ended Time Magazine CoverWe don’t know if Time magazine is impressed with this invention or Lindbergh’s involvement, although you can assume both.

However, the media became sensational, and soon there were rumors that Karel was nurturing embryos and Lindbergh was nurturing a new heart for himself. Karel apparently used Lindbergh to promote value, but this started to backfire.

Infusion today

Both were caught in a scandal during World War II and the operation of the infusion pump stopped. By 1950, people discovered interest in keeping organs alive during surgery and discovered better ways. But it was Lindbergh and Carrel who used their magical perfusion pump to pave the way for open heart surgery and even organ transplants.

Organ transplantation has made considerable progress, and your next organ may come from pork. Or it may come from a 3D printer.