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July 12, 2008

Famed Heart Surgeon Doctor Michael DeBakey Dies at 99 
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Dr. Michael DeBakey known for pioneering work in open-heart surgery,
bypass operations, surgical repair of blood vessels 
Michael Ellis DeBakey, one of America's leading heart surgeons, died
Friday night at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas at the age of
99. 

Dr. Michael DeBakey at news conference in Houston, Texas (1984 file
photo)Dr. Michael DeBakey was a world-famous heart surgeon, educator,
inventor, medical statesman and the man many people consider the
originator of modern heart and blood vessel surgery.His father was a
French-Lebanese immigrant who had settled in Lake Charles in the
southern state of Louisiana where Michael, one of 5 DeBakey children,
was born in 1908. Michael received his medical degree in 1932 from
Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana.He
completed his internship and residency requirements in American and
European hospitals. In 1948, he became a professor of surgery and was
appointed chairman of the Department of Surgery at Baylor University
School of Medicine at Houston, Texas. It was the beginning of a long and
prolific association between a progressive mind and an institution that
provided the optimal environment for progress.In the 1950s and 60s, Dr.
DeBakey pioneered the!
  clearing of blocked arteries to the brain to prevent strokes, the
bypassing of clogged coronary arteries to prevent heart attacks and the
repair of aortic aneurysms.He was the first to implant a mechanical
partial heart in a human patient in 1966 and led early efforts to
develop a total artificial heart.In 1967, Dr. DeBakey and his associates
ushered in a new era in medicine by successfully using a heart pump
during surgery to assist the heart to continue functioning. It was a
mechanism DeBakey had devised in the early 1930's, and later perfected.
In an interview with the VOA, following that milestone event, he talked
of the significance of the heart pump."We now have, I think, good
evidence that the pump does its function in patients in much the same
manner that we observed its function in our animal experiments. This
means, of course, that it is possible to utilize the pump in very
critically ill patients who might not otherwise survive a critical
operation. I believ!
 e, we can, therefore, look forward to more widespread use of the pump 
in the future," he said.The pump, subsequently, became a key component
of heart-lung machines used in open-heart surgery.Encouraged by the
success of man-made heart valves, DeBakey regarded the development of a
mechanical heart as the logical next step, and participated in the
research and experiments in this field. In the 1967 interview with the
VOA, he explained why he believed an artificial heart was needed."Even
if we learn ultimately how to completely remove the rejection
phenomenon, that is to control it completely, satisfactorily, we still
would have the problem of availability of donors," he said. "One must
wait for a suitable donor, must prepare the matching of the donor and
the recipient, and to get all of these circumstances all set at one
time, usually under emergency conditions, really limit the possibilities
of doing it considerably. If we had available to us an artificial heart
that could satisfactorily replace the function of a normal heart, then
we would be !
 able to treat most patients in that manner." In 1968 and 69, Dr.
DeBakey helped open the heart transplant era. With the advent of drugs
that control the body's rejection of new organs, the Baylor University's
medical facility in Houston, under the leadership of Dr. DeBakey, became
an internationally renowned heart-transplant center. Michael DeBakey has
been described as a consummate doctor who always found time for personal
contacts with his patients, whether they were ordinary citizens or
foreign dignitaries. His workday began very early in the morning and
stretched far into the night. In 1988, at the age 80, when most surgeons
prefer to retire, he told an interviewer that he was still performing up
to 7 operations a day."I think primarily because I truly enjoy it. I
think that if you enjoy what you do, no matter how stressful it may
seem, it's copeable. In other words, you can cope with stressful
situations, if you're enjoying it. And in that sense it's a challenge,"
!
 he said.In June 1993, at age 85, he gave up the chairmanship of the De
partment of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
Although he continued to see patients, he more often assisted surgery
than performed it. However, he continued to regularly consult with
officials throughout the world. In September 1993, for example, he
traveled to Russia to help develop medical centers there.Dr. Michael
DeBakey, an American surgeon known for his pioneering work in open-heart
surgery, bypass operations, and the surgical repair of blood vessels,
dead at the age of 99.


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