Su Hongxi (; January 1915 – July 31, 2018) was a Chinese surgeon best known for performing the first open heart surgery with

cardiopulmonary bypass Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a technique in which a machine temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs during surgery, maintaining the circulation of blood and oxygen to the body. The CPB pump itself is often referred to as a he ...

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

Early life

Su was born in

Tongshan County Tongshan () is a county of Xianning City, in the southeastern part of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Jiangxi to the south. The county is located along Hubei's mountainous south-eastern border with Jiangxi. Its best known ...

(modern

Xuzhou Xuzhou (徐州), also known as Pengcheng (彭城) in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in the built-up area ma ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

. He graduated from medical school at

National Central University National Central University (NCU, ; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Kwet-li̍p Chung-yong Thài-ho̍k'', Wade–Giles: ''Kuo2 Li4 Chung Yang Ta4 Hsüeh2'' or ''中大'', ''Chung-ta'') is a public research university with long-standing traditions based in Taiwa ...

in 1943 and received an internship offer from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1949. The

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

(CCP) approved his internship abroad. As a result, Su left

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and moved to the

to study surgery. He obtained his specialization in the early 1950s in the field of

cardiovascular surgery Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to corr ...

Career

After American surgeon

John Gibbon John Gibbon (April 20, 1827 – February 6, 1896) was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Early life Gibbon was born in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the fourt ...

’s success in 1953, Su decided to introduce open heart surgery to China, purchasing two

(CPB) pumps. He lived under surveillance, and his return was supposedly impeded. Still, he managed to transport the pumps to China with his American wife Jane McDonald's help. Jane flew to Europe via Canada, where she received the pumps. Later, Su sailed to Britain, where he joined Jane. They then crossed Europe and Asia, ultimately arriving in Beijing with the pumps. Su founded the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at the

Fourth Military Medical University The Air Force Medical University (), formerly known as the Fourth Military Medical University () until 2017, is a Chinese military institution of higher learning, affiliated to the People's Liberation Army Air Force. It was formed by the merger o ...

. On June 26, 1958, he performed the first successful open heart procedure in mainland China, repairing the VSD on a 6-year-old patient using CPB. In 1963, he performed the first aorta-carotid bypass in mainland China using a vascular prosthesis. He was transferred to 301 Hospital in 1972 and served as the first president of the Chinese Society Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery from 1988 to 1992.

Personal life

In 2013, Su joined the CCP at the age of 98. He died on July 31, 2018, at the age of 103.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Su, Hongxi 1915 births 2018 deaths Chinese centenarians Men centenarians Chinese surgeons Scientists from Xuzhou National Central University alumni Physicians from Jiangsu