Cardiol Young 2005; 15: 326–327
© Cambridge University Press
ISSN 1047-9511
W
ITHIN
AND
OUTSIDE
THE
PAEDIATRIC
cardiac fraternity, we were shocked by the
tragic and sad death of Jonathan in the
small hours following Christmas Day, 2004. Jonathan
was born in Johannesburg, in 1959, being the son
of the late Errol Praine Drummond and Anne
Drummond-Webb. He is survived by his wife,
Lorraine DeBlanche. He gained his medical degrees
at Witwatersrand Medical School, Johannesburg, in
1982, after secondary schooling at Damelin College,
and Marist Brothers College. He moved through his
residencies mainly in Johannesburg, and became a
Fellow of the South African College of Surgeons in
1991. He spent four months as a Cardiothoracic
Surgeon at Johannesburg Hospital, and then moved
to a position as Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery at
Pelonomi Hospital, Bloemfontein, until midway
through 1993. Jonathan then left South Africa with
Lorraine, undertaking a Fellowship in Cardiovascular
and Thoracic Surgery of two years at the University
of Utah, working at the Hospital of the Latter Day
Saints in Salt Lake City. During that time his focus
was on adult cardiac surgery, extracorporeal membrane
oxygenation, and other devices for ventricular assist.
In 1994, he secured a position as Fellow in Pediatric
and Congenital Heart Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic,
and two years later he accepted the position of Clinical
Associate. In June, 1998, he was promoted to Assistant
Staff Surgeon. Soon thereafter, he was given the job
of Surgical Director of the Paediatric and Congenital
Heart Transplantation Service. In early 2001, he took
up a position as Chief of Congenital Heart Surgery
at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. He
recruited Michiaki Immamura from Sapporo, who
had also undergone training for 2½ years at the
Cleveland Clinic. Between them, they built on the
basis of the solid programme established by Steven
VanDevanter, and increased their surgical numbers
from about 400 to 600 per year. There was a strong
accent on transplantation, which flourished under
Jonathan and Michiaki. Their 30 day mortality was
down to 1.4 per cent by 2003, which is an outstanding
achievement. At the Cleveland Clinic, we have some
fond memories of Jonathan and Lorraine. We remem-
ber Jonathan’s enthusiasm, his energy, his rapid
assimilation of the morphology, physiology and
management of congenital heart disease, his devo-
tion to the wellbeing of his patients, his excellent
relationship with the families of his patients, and of
his occasional mischievousness.
By all accounts, he carried these attributes to
Little Rock, Arkansas, and built on them. We knew
Jonathan as a driven man, with a stated ambition of
being recognized as the best congenital cardiac sur-
geon. He had charisma and flare, and understood
that, in this competitive day and age, publicity was
Obituary
Jonathan James Drummond-Webb
1503-21.qxd 4/15/05 5:42 PM Page 326
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms
.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1047951105000703
Downloaded from
https://www.cambridge.org/core
. IP address: 5.9.90.134, on 13 Dec 2017 at 14:10:47, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at
Vol. 15, No. 3
Obituary
327
important to growth of his programme. Name
recognition was coming to him rapidly.
When we emerge from the shock of his death, we
ponder on those things that may have contributed.
Certainly, high volume congenital cardiac surgery
is a very emotionally, mentally, and physically tax-
ing occupation, all heightened by the depth of
caring embraced by a particular surgeon. Those left
behind by Jonathan’s death, Lorraine, his surgical
team, those of his patients still scheduled for surgery,
and those families that loved him for what he had
done for their children, are all suffering deeply.
So many future babies and children could have
benefited from his great skills. His passing is truly a
real tragedy.
Roger Mee
Pediatric & Congenital Heart Surgery
The Children’s Hospital – The Cleveland
Clinic Foundation
9500 Euclid Avenue, Desk M41
Cleveland, OH 44195-5066
United States of America
Tel:
ϩ1 1 216 444 6915; Fax: ϩ1 1 216 445 3692
E-mail: meer@ccf.org
1503-21.qxd 4/15/05 5:42 PM Page 327
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms
.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1047951105000703
Downloaded from
https://www.cambridge.org/core
. IP address: 5.9.90.134, on 13 Dec 2017 at 14:10:47, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at