ABSTRACT
The surgical technique of heart and lung transplantation was initially developed by Demikhov and Lower between 1940 and 1960 using canine models, followed by Shumway, Reitz, and colleagues at Stanford University using a primate model that allowed a better understanding of the potential effects of heart-lung transplant surgery in humans. The anatomic and physiologic similarities, such as the absence of the suppression of the respiratory drive post-transplant that was seen in dogs due to ablation of the Hering-Breuer reflex, allowed longer survival and refinement of the surgical technique and postoperative management.
