Full disclosure: I work part time for NowSourcing, the Infographic Design Agency that developed this infographic.
When you think of Louisville you pretty much always think of bourbon and The Derby first, right? There have been some pretty major medical advances that have been developed in Louisville, and the rest of the world has benefited from our medical community’s hard work over the last century.
Take, for example, the emergency room. It’s something everyone takes for granted, but the first ever Emergency Room anywhere was opened at what today is the University of Louisville Hospital in 1911. It was at the Louisville City Hospital and was called an “accident service.”
The first ever full hand transplant took place in Louisville in 1999. Even before that, Kleinert, Kutz, and Associates were leading the way in hand surgery for decades at Jewish Hospital. Now there have been 9 total hand transplants on 8 patients, including one patient who received a double hand transplant in 2010.
Adding to the list was the invention of the AbioCor fully self-contained artificial heart in 2001. Before it was invented, patients with artificial hearts were bedridden with electrical wires coming out of their skin. The wires were attached to a batter the size of a washing machine, which rendered them bedridden for the rest of their short lives. The AbioCor artificial heart gives heart transplant patients a chance to continue their lives in the outside world.
The HPV vaccine was also developed here in Louisville. It’s the first vaccine that can prevent some types of cancer, and it was recently announced that just one shot can be effective. Learn more about medical advances made in Louisville from this infographic!
Photos Courtesy of Lockton
