Willis J. Potts | |
|---|---|
 Potts in 1955 | |
| Born | March 22, 1895 |
| Died | May 5, 1968 (aged 73) |
| Education | Rush Medical College |
| Medical career | |
| Field | Pediatric surgery |
| Institutions | Children's Memorial Hospital |
| Sub-specialties | Cardiovascular surgery |
Willis John Potts (March 22, 1895 – May 5, 1968) was an American pediatric surgeon and one of the earliest physicians to focus on the surgical treatment of heart problems in children. Potts set up one of the country's first pediatric surgery programs at Children's Memorial Hospital (later renamed Lurie Children's Hospital) in Chicago.
A graduate of the University of Chicago and Rush Medical College, Potts was known for introducing a surgery to address the heart defects that resulted in blue baby syndrome; the procedure became known as the Potts shunt. In addition, Potts performed the first successful repair of a cardiovascular abnormality known as a pulmonary artery sling. He also invented several surgical instruments, with a particular emphasis on devices used in surgery on major blood vessels.
Potts remained a surgeon at Children's Memorial Hospital and a faculty member at the Northwestern University Medical School well into the 1960s. He retired to Sarasota, Florida, where he died of a heart attack at the age of 73.