Jackson Hospital | Partners | Fall 2019

Just 50 years ago, open heart surgery was nearly unheard of. Now, through the hard work of many doctors, hundreds of thousands of open heart surgeries are performed every year in the United States. Open heart surgery has evolved over the decades, but the goal remains the same: sav- ing patients’ lives. In 1999, a Montgomery man became the first open heart surgery patient at Jackson Hospital. At 52, Marvin Baldwin woke up to a new day following his surgery and a new outlook on life. “I made it” were the first words he spoke to his wife, Judy, only hours af- ter the life-changing procedure. A first for Jackson Hospital Less than a year before Bald- win’s surgery, Jackson Hospital had applied to begin an open heart surgery program, ap- proved by the State Health Planning and Development Agency in 1998. In addition to open heart surgery, this pro- gram would enable surgeons to MAY 6, 1953 Dr. John H. Gibbon Jr. performs the world’s first suc- cessful open heart surgery using a heart-lung machine. MARCH 26, 1954 Dr. C. Walton Lillehei performs the world’s first successful open heart surgery using the cross-circulation method. NOVEMBER 1998 Certificate of need for open heart sur- gery is granted to Jackson Hospital. SEPTEMBER 9, 1999 Dr. George Kontos performs the first open heart surgery at Jackson Hospital. 2000 Dr. Stephen Kwan joins Jackson Hospital as a cardiothoracic surgeon and becomes the primary heart sur- geon in Montgomery. perform other interventional cardiology services, such as angioplasty procedures, for the first time in the River Region. The open heart surgery program at Jackson Hospital was made possible with the help of George Kontos, MD. A graduate of Loyola Uni- versity School of Medicine in Chicago, Dr. Kontos came to Alabama to complete his residency at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Dr. Kontos was granted privileges at Jackson Hospital to perform open heart surgery and became the primary sur- geon at the hospital. Today, Stephen Kwan, MD, runs the open heart surgery program at Jackson Hospital. With over 8,000 open heart procedures throughout his career, Dr. Kwan is known as a leader in cardiovascular surgery in the River Region. His expertise, combined with the 115 years of com- bined experience of the cardiovascular operating room team, allows Jackson Hospital to provide the best possible care for your heart. www.jackson.org 7