Journal «Angiology and Vascular Surgery» • 

2021 • VOLUME 27 • №2

Surgeon, scientist, and humanist who was well in advance of his time (to the 105th birthday of academician E.N. Meshalkin)

Morgoshiya T.Sh., Kalashnikova V.D.

Surgical Department, Saint Petersburg Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia

The article deals with the data from the life of well-known heart surgeon in Russia and beyond Academician E.N. Meshalkin, presenting little-known facts of life of the scientist, describing his path to becoming a surgeon. Referring to his life, professional and social activities, one can come across not only interesting scientific facts from the history of cardiovascular surgery, but also analogies with modernity, answers to many clinical questions of the speciality and medicine of the present time, mentioning the main trends of his scientific activity touching upon the problems of virtually all divisions of thoracic surgery, many aspects of cardiovascular surgery and application of narcosis. As an apprentice and closest associate of A.N. Bakulev, he participated in creation of one of the Russian cardiosurgical schools and after death of the teacher continued with dignity his deal. E.N. Meshalkin together with his collaborators worked out and implemented into clinical practice a series of techniques of surgical treatment on the heart and vessels: multistaple suture of the wall of the heart and blood vessels, including patent ductus arteriosus (1957), a transatrial approach to pulmonary artery valves (1957), as well as interventricular septum defects (1961). In 1955, he performed the first in the USSR operation for coarctation of the aorta, followed by developing the technique of «dry» heart surgery without artificial circulation. Evgeny Nikolaevich, the founder of cardiovascular surgery in Russia, as well as the scientific school of surgeons was rightfully considered to be one of patriarchs of Russian surgery.

KEY WORDS: surgery of heart and vessels, activity of E.N. Meshalkin, anaesthesia, coarctation of the aorta, «dry heart» surgery without artificial circulation.

p. 192

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