The First Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellow, William A. Lell: A Brief History

Rêves, J. G.

doi:10.1213/ane.0000000000005396

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…I read with great interest the recent article written by Jerry Reves, MD, 1 concerning the career of William Lell, MD. I found it extremely well written and a much deserved tribute to a remarkable physician and individual.…”

Section: To the Editormentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Was the First Cardiovascular Anesthesia Fellow?

Cooper¹

2021

Anesthesia &Amp; Analgesia

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Who Was the First Cardiovascular Anesthesia Fellow?To the Editor I read with great interest the recent article written by Jerry Reves, MD, 1 concerning the career of William Lell, MD. I found it extremely well written and a much deserved tribute to a remarkable physician and individual. However, I must disagree with 1 sentence. In the first paragraph of the paper it is stated "Thus, Lell became the first subspecialty trained cardiac anesthesiologist, not just in the United States, but in the world." Taking nothing away from Dr Lell, who did his fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston in 1971, I do not believe that statement is accurate.The late Arthur S. Keats, MD, who became the Chairman of Anesthesiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, in 1955, was involved with the cardiovascular surgical practices of Denton Cooley, MD, and Michael DeBakey, MD, almost as soon as he arrived. Cooley later founded the Texas Heart Institute (THI) in 1962. Of practical necessity, because both of these individuals were then Baylor surgeons, Keats had to provide specialized anesthesia staff for both the cardiovascular operating rooms at Methodist Hospital where DeBakey and other Baylor cardiovascular surgeons operated, and those at THI (St. Luke's Hospital) for Cooley. This situation also provided an opportunity for clinical instruction and education for trainees in cardiovascular anesthesia including fellows. The trainees had the luxury of clinical material. For instance, in 1965, Cooley personally performed 665 pump cases. 2 The number of other types of cardiac and vascular cases he also did is unknown. I also do not know how many procedures Dr DeBakey and the other Baylor cardiovascular surgical faculty performed in that time period.In preliminary research for a planned paper on the history of the Department of Cardiovascular Anesthesia of THI and Baylor, I have examined the available annual reports from the Baylor Division of Anesthesiology. In those records, there is clear documentation that there were fellows in anesthesia for cardiovascular surgery at THI and Baylor as early as July, 1965, and the fellowship was at least a year long. 3 The first anesthesiology fellow in the THI/Baylor program that I have identified was Cornelia Lukban, MD, who did her residency at Boston City Hospital, and after her fellowship, Cornelia Lukban returned to her native Philippines. The second in chronology, Kamel Girgis, MD, who began his specialty training at Baylor in 1966, is my former THI colleague and is still a Texan at age 89. Others followed. Presently, I do not know if there were Cardiovascular Anesthesia fellows at THI/Baylor before 1965. There may have been earlier cardiovascular anesthesiology fellows at other institutions. The fellowship that was started then continues at THI and Baylor until the present. Dr Keats, well known for his original thinking, intelligence, and clinical skills, was also a pioneer in education in cardiovascular anesthesia and probably established the first fellowship training in t...

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Section: To the Editormentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Was the First Cardiovascular Anesthesia Fellow?

Cooper¹

2021

Anesthesia &Amp; Analgesia

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“…I thank Dr Cooper 1 for his historical research and comments regarding my article. 2 It certainly is indisputable that Arthur Keats 3 was a pioneering anesthesiologist as well as a “towering intellect and protean contributor” to cardiac anesthesia. As Dr Cooper 1 points out and we documented, Dr Keats 3 presided over Anesthesiology at Texas Heart Institute and Methodist Hospital of Baylor College of Medicine where Dr Denton Cooley and Michael DeBakey, respectively, developed their world-renowned surgical programs.…”

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