Lillehei made it clear to the Gliddens that he had used cross-circulation only on dogs, but he told them that if a child of his needed open-heart surgery, he would not hesitate to use the technique. Desperate, the Gliddens gave the go-ahead. The consent form they signed in March 1954 was a single sentence: “I, the undersigned, hereby grant permission for an operation or any procedure the University staff deems necessary upon my son.”
