Series 9: Clinical Films, 1950-[ca.2004]

The Clinical Films series contains 8 and 16 mm open reel films, the majority of which were filmed without sound. Included are fragments, duplicate footage, and completed films that document experimental operations performed by Kantrowitz and his associates. Kantrowitz screened completed films such as "Experimental artificial left heart for exposure of the mitral valve," "Repair of ruptured ventricular septum," and "Long term survival after canine heart allotransplantation" during presentations at various professional events and continuing education courses. Both animal and human surgeries are represented, with puppy transplants (including that of the dog Pirate) making up a substantial portion of the series. Clinical Films is sub-divided by surgery categories: Artificial Left Heart/Mitral Valve, Cardiovascular Surgery, Electronic Physiologic Aids, Haskell Shanks, Heart Transplant, Heart Transplant (Puppy), Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump, Mechanical Auxiliary Ventricle, Orsi, Patch Booster Dog, Prosthetic Myocardium, and Other. Films within each sub-series are arranged numerically by the line numbers included in the film titles. The films have been rehoused in archival canisters, assigned item numbers, and stored separately from the rest of the collection. Nineteen films covering a variety of surgeries were digitized onto three Panasonic-DV cassettes. These cassettes are located in the folder "LVAD digitized films, tapes 1-3" at the end of the series inventory.