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Blalock-Taussig operation - 2 dictionary results
Main Entry: Bla·lock–Taus·sig operation
Pronunciation: 'blA-"läk-'tau-sig-
Function: noun
: surgical correction of the tetralogy ofFallot called also blue-baby operation
Blalock, Alfred (1899–1964), and Taussig, Helen B. (1898–1986), American physicians. Blalockand Taussig were on the staff of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Based upon Taussig's theory that the cause of cyanosis in infants was a functional lack of oxygen, Blalock (a surgeon) developed an operation inwhich the pulmonary artery and a healthy systemic artery were spliced to bypass any constriction or blockage, thereby giving the lungs sufficient blood for oxygenation. The Blalock-Taussig operationwas first performed in 1944; it marked the beginning of modern heart surgery.
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Blalock-Taussig operation n.
Surgical anastomosis of a subclavian artery to a pulmonary artery in order to direct blood from the systemic circulation to the lungs in cases of congenital malformations of the heart in which an abnormally small volume of blood passes through the pulmonary circuit.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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