Sir Brian Gerald Barratt-Boyes (born Brian Gerald Boyes, 13 January 1924 – 8 March 2006) was a pioneering New Zealand cardiothoracic surgeon. He was known for early development of cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, early implantation of a cardiac pacemaker before these devices became commercially available in 1961, early use of human cadaveric aortic homografts for aortic valve replacement, and introduced the use of hypothermia and cardiac arrest for surgery in neonates and infants. He continued his training as a surgeon, initially in New Zealand, and later at the Mayo Clinic (1953–55) and as a Nuffield Fellow in Bristol (1955–56). At Mayo he worked under John W. Kirklin, the two developing a high mutual regard that endured and grew over the years.
In 1969 he brought the technique of profound hypothermia and circulatory arrest into the limelight as a practical method for dealing with major corrective surgery in neonates with congenital heart disease, in so doing further establishing Green Lane Hospital on the international stage. In recognition of these and other achievements he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1966 New Year Honours, and promoted to Knight Commander of the same order in the 1971 New Year Honours, further confirming a national prominence comparable to that achieved by René Favaloro in Argentina and Christiaan Barnard in South Africa. Barratt-Boyes showcased the Green Lane experience at many international meetings as well as in workshops he hosted in Auckland. The 1987 Asian Pacific Congress was a particular success for him for the size of the international contingent it drew and the bright spotlight it shone on Green Lane's history of achievement. In 1985 he and John Kirklin published their authoritative text Cardiac Surgery, a colossal achievement of more than 1,500 pages that quickly became the standard reference for the sub-speciality.
Personal life and death
Barratt-Boyes married physiotherapist Norma Margaret Thomson in Dunedin on 9 November 1949. The couple went on to have five sons.
Barratt-Boyes suffered from angina beginning at age 39 and underwent coronary artery bypass surgery at age 50. He was a long time smoker and struggled with quitting.