New Zealand's first open heart operation.

In 1954, I was extremely fortunate to be appointed to Green Lane Hospital to provide technical assistance to an emergent cardiac surgical unit, the first such appointment in New Zealand. My background was in electronics and instead of servicing radar equipment, I found myself involved in a far more interesting and fascinating field. At that time, a small team headed by surgeon D. Robb (later Sir Douglas) performed closed cardiac operations on the beating heart using digital valvular dilation or with the aid of various knives, etc. Additionally, closure of patent ductus arteriosus and resection of coarctation of the aorta were carried out. The ability to carry out a surgical repair within the exposed dry heart was, for us, a dream for the future, but our sights were set to achieve that.