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Michael DeBakey, 1908-2008
Born Lake Charles, Louisiana
An innovative leader in the treatment of heart disease, surgeon Michael DeBakey helped inaugurate a new era in cardiovascular surgery. The pump he designed for use in blood transfusions proved critical to the development of heart-lung machines that made open-heart surgery possible. DeBakey also pioneered the use of Dacron fabric for vascular grafts and tubing. In the 1960s he led efforts to develop a mechanical pump -- known as a ventricular assist device -- to support patients with failing heart function. Among the first to perform coronary bypasses, DeBakey made history in 1968 when he and his team transplanted four organs from a single donor to four different recipients.
Peter Shapiro, 1998 cast of 1997 original |