About Us
At the hallowed and historic wards of Christian Medical College, Vellore, Cardiothoracic surgery in India took its early, courageous steps. Dr. Reeve Hawkins Betts, an American missionary and the first qualified general thoracic surgeon in India joined CMCH in 1948, and established the first thoracic surgery department in south Asia at CMCH Vellore in 1949. Dr. Betts was no ordinary person. A World War 2 veteran, a missionary, a humble servant and a sought after surgeon. It is recorded that he would physically carry patients from the OPD to the ward or theatre himself if required. He embodied surgical excellence wrapped in humility. He was the founder president of the Indian association of cardiothoracic surgeons (IACTS) established in 1954.
At the hallowed and historic wards of Christian Medical College, Vellore, Cardiothoracic surgery in India took its early, courageous steps. Dr. Reeve Hawkins Betts, an American missionary and the first qualified general thoracic surgeon in India joined CMCH in 1948, and established the first thoracic surgery department in south Asia at CMCH Vellore in 1949. Dr. Betts was no ordinary person. A World War 2 veteran, a missionary, a humble servant and a sought after surgeon. It is recorded that he would physically carry patients from the OPD to the ward or theatre himself if required. He embodied surgical excellence wrapped in humility. He was the founder president of the Indian association of cardiothoracic surgeons (IACTS) established in 1954.
He was the first in south Asia to have successfully done Potts-Smith Shunt (1951) Pericardiectomies (1952), Pulmonary valvotomy (1953) and lung resection for TB. In 1954, he initiated the MS training program in general thoracic surgery at CMCH, which later morphed into an MCh degree in 1960. His first trainee was Padmashree Dr. Nagarur Gopinath whose examiners were Prof.P.K. Sen and Prof.A.K. Basu. Dr. Gopinath would later be a pioneer in open-heart surgery at CMCH. He went on to establish the CTVS department in CMC and the Cardiothoracic training program at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi in 1963.
When Dr. Gopinath left CMCH, the mantle of leadership passed on to Padmashree Dr.Stanley John — a towering figure whose influence and pioneering work inspired and shaped numerous cardiothoracic surgeons in this country.
Over the years the department of CTVS in CMC Vellore has grown significantly with over a 1000 cardiac cases and around 400 general thoracic cases being done annually. The MCh cardiothoracic training programme has also been progressing, with intake of 4 trainees per year. The perfusion technology department has evolved simultaneously with a robust training program offering a BSc degree course.