Robert H. Goetz

Robert Hans Goetz was the surgeon who performed the first successful clinical coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The surgery was performed May 2, 1960 using the left internal thoracic artery. The graft remained patent, as demonstrated by angiography, and the patient remained free of angina for one year. While names such as Michael Debakey, Christiaan Barnard, and others are well known, Goetz gained little recognition.