American Heart Association Saddened by Death of Surgical Pioneer Michael E.
DeBakey
DALLAS, July 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Volunteers and staff of the
American Heart Association extend their sympathy to the family and friends of
Michael E. DeBakey, who died yesterday at the age of 99.
"Michael DeBakey is a legend in cardiovascular medicine and is personally
responsible for developing the field of cardiovascular surgery," said Timothy
Gardner, M.D., president of the American Heart Association. "He
single-handedly started surgery of the aorta, the main artery in the body, and
his pioneering work in heart surgery was critical in bringing this life-saving
therapy to millions of patients throughout the world. Our thoughts and
prayers are with his family at this time."
At the age of 23, while still a medical student at Tulane University in
New Orleans, he showed hints of contributions to come when he invented the
roller pump. This device became an integral part of the heart-lung machine
and helped make open-heart surgery safer and widely available. His new
generation heart assist pump, developed at the other end of his incredible
career while in his 80's, is evidence of his continued contributions well
beyond the time when most of his generation of cardiovascular pioneers entered
into well deserved retirement.
DeBakey performed more than 60,000 cardiovascular procedures and trained
thousands of surgeons from around the world. He performed the first
aortocoronary bypass operation and the first successful carotid
endarterectomy, which established the field of surgery for strokes. An
endarterectomy surgically removes an obstruction hindering blood flow through
the carotid artery to the brain. An equally important part of his
contribution to the medical world are his many residents who themselves went
on to have successful careers as chairmen and directors of their own academic
surgical programs in the United States and abroad.
Just months ago, Dr. DeBakey personally accepted the Congressional Gold
Medal from President Bush in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, capping off his
remarkable career with this unique honor.
"DeBakey's legacy will live on in so many ways -- through the thousands of
patients he treated directly and through his creation of a generation of
physician educators, who will carry his legacy far into the future. His
advances will continue to be the building blocks for new treatments and
surgical procedures for years to come," said Gardner.
SOURCE American Heart Association
Carrie Thacker, +1-214-924-0824 weekend, or +1-214-706-1665 week day, for the
American Heart Association
