Woman who underwent NZ's first open heart surgery dies

The first person to get open heart surgery in New Zealand, Christchurch resident Helen Harris, has died aged 78.

Helen (nee Arnold) was about 10 or 11 when she underwent open heart surgery, which was performed by Sir Brian Barratt-Boyes at Greenlane Hospital, Auckland, in September 1958.

Helen's operation was a success. Photo: Courtesy of the Arnold family via RNZ

Helen died on Saturday, February 28, surrounded by her family.

Her death notice said she was the "beloved wife of Kevin, loved mother and mother-in-law of Craig, and Danielle and Graham, step-mother of Darrell and Justine, and Sonya, Nanny of Julie, Mikayla, and Sarah, Ashlea, Gemma, and Jessica".

The family said donations "would be appreciated" and can be made to Heart Kids, https://www.heartkids.org.nz.

Helen was born with a large hole between her right and left ventricles.

From left: Ken Graham, Alan Kerr, David Cole, Brian Barratt-Boyes, James Monroe, Sebastian Campagna. Circa.1970 Photo: Auckland District Health Board

Her surgery in 1958 was a groundbreaking procedure, using new surgical techniques that drew attention from the international medical fraternity.

"I was a blue baby," she told RNZ in 2020.

An important innovation used in the procedure was a piece of equipment called The Melrose Machine.

"They’d been working for two years to get the heart-lung machine up and running - they’d done 17 sheep before me," Helen said.

The modified Melrose Machine being prepared in 1958. Photo: The Auckland Weekly

One out of 100 babies are born with some form of heart defect. Prior to her operation, there was no effective treatment.

In 2020, RNZ reported Helen had undergone five procedures, including four pacemakers, which helped keep her heart beating.

"They didn’t expect me to live this long and I could have gone at any time when I was little ... I thank medical science for allowing me to live this,” she told RNZ.