[Hypothermia for cardiac surgery with cessation of circulation--start of open heart surgery in Germany].

The first surface hypothermia with cessation of the circulation in Europe has been performed in Duesseldorf on February 9, 1955 for the direct suture of an atrial septal defect. Risks and insufficient basic knowledge are mentioned and the procedure is described with a protocol of anesthesia, cooling in ice water and rewarming in a water mattress. Eighth weeks later, the first series of 7 patients with closure of an atrial septal defect were presented at the congress of the German Society of Surgery. One patient died on the 13th postoperative day due to a cerebral thrombosis, unrelated to hypothermia. After 4 years a pump oxygenator became available and hypothermia was reduced to about half of the open heart procedures for 5 years and decreased further. Until 1978 with more than 1800 hypothermias for open heart surgery and some aneurysms of the aorta and cerebral arteries without the aid of a pump oxygenator the largest series in the world could be attained. As most important success was regarded that in none of our patients with cessation of circulation, which was repeated up to three times, a lasting cerebral damage occurred.