OtterKnow Kids EncyclopediaVivien Thomas was a brilliant medical helper who had a huge impact on heart surgery! Even though he never went to medical school, his skills helped save the lives of thousands of babies. Vivien helped doctors learn new ways to fix sick hearts!
Vivien helped invent a completely new way to fix the hearts of “blue babies,” which were babies who were very sick because their hearts were not pumping enough oxygen. In the 1940s, he stood right behind the surgeon during the first operation to make sure everything went perfectly! His careful work and clever ideas helped save the lives of thousands of babies. Even though he did not have a medical degree, doctors came from all over the world to learn from him.
- Vivien Thomas helped develop a surgery that saved thousands of babies with heart problems!
- He taught many famous surgeons how to perform difficult operations.
- Vivien was eventually given an honorary doctorate degree from Johns Hopkins University for his contributions to medicine!
