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Dr. Michael DeBakey: How one man changed the world
As a future nursing student I have a desire to learn about scientific innovation in the medical field. My dad had a heart attack a few years ago. It was remarkable how many different surgery and treatment options were available. This is why I am especially interested in learning about the innovations in heart surgery. I began my research hoping to learn about the history of heart surgery and new innovations in the field. The more research I did one name kept coming up again and again. That name was Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey. I was amazed to learn how this one man had contributed so much to the medical field. In the following article I will briefly highlight Dr. Debakey’s lifetime of achievements and thus show how one person can change the world.
“Perhaps no person has done more to advance the surgical treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels than Dr. Michael DeBakey. An impassioned patient's advocate, he has continuously urged the support of medical research as the means of discovering improved methods of diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and cure.” (National Library of Medicine)
At the time when Dr. DeBakey was in medical school virtually nothing could be done for patients with heart disease. Dr. DeBakey had a very keen intellect and scientific mind and he had a passion for research. His ideas often challenged the prevailing medical opinions of the time. While still in medical school he invented the roller pump which became a vital piece of the heart lung machine. His invention of the roller pump helped make open heart surgery possible.
In 1964 Dr. DeBakey was the first surgeon in history to perform an aortocoronary artery bypass. This surgery, commonly called a bypass, is the process of taking a vein from the leg and implanting in the heart to redirect blood flow around a blockage so that the coronary arteries, which feeds the heart muscle itself, are properly supplied. The heart muscle tissue dies very quickly without a constant blood supply from the coronary arteries. The creation of bypass surgery was ground breaking because for the first time it gave surgeons the ability to reroute around a blockage to be able to give the heart muscle the proper blood supply. Bypass surgery is now common practice all over the world. The creation of bypass surgery has single handedly saved the lives of millions of people are over the globe.
Dr. DeBakey realized that a great number of people needed heart transplants while there were very few donors. This knowledge drove him to create the left ventricular assist device, which was the first partial artificial heart. In 1966 he implanted the first partial artificial heart which he himself had designed. Dr. DeBakey also worked with NASA to create a devise to help people with congestive heart failure. They created the DeBakey Ventricular Assist Device or VAD which was a tiny implantable device that increased blood flow.
Dr. DeBakey also did ground breaking work in preventing stroke. He performed the first carotid endarterectomy. The Carotid artery is very important because it carries blood to the brain. This surgery removes plaque from the carotid artery to prevent formation of a blockage which causes stroke. And thus, Dr. DeBakey began the field of surgery for strokes.
During World War II Dr. DeBakey served in the military. He viewed transporting wounded soldiers to far away hospitals for surgery as a problem. His solution to this problem was to bring surgery units to the battlefield. This solution was carried out by creating the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital which is now known by the acronym M.A.S.H. The MASH unit forever changed the face of warfare.
In a seven decade long career, Dr. DeBakey made many innovations in surgery. Some of his most important contribution to medicine where the roller pump, bypass surgery, partial artificial heart, preventive surgery for strokes, and the MASH unit. He also developed over 70 surgical instruments. Through his career he performed 60,000 cardiovascular procedures.
John F Kennedy, Lyndon B Johnson, Richard M Nixon, Boris Yeltsin, the Duke of Iran, and the King of Jordan were all famous patients of Dr. DeBakey. He also did pro bono work for those who couldn’t afford surgery. Dr. DeBakey famously stated, “Once you incise the skin, you find they are all very similar.” “His keen intellect, ingenuity, personal integrity, compassion, and selfless devotion to the service of humanity have made him a true legend in his own time.” (DeBakey Dept. of Surgery)
“Dr. DeBakey’s ability to bring his professional knowledge to bear on public policy earned him a reputation as an international medical statesman. Because of his numerous contributions in research, education, and surgery, he is also widely known as a gifted and dedicated teacher; an ingenious medical investigator, inventor, and innovator; and a premier cardiovascular surgeon.” (DeBakey Dept. of Surgery) His innovations changed the face of medicine both in the US and globally. He helped to develop health care systems and surgical units in many nations all over the world. He had a great passion for patient advocacy and for bettering public health policy. He was still giving international lectures well into his nineties.
A great part of Dr. DeBakey’s legacy is that he trained many generations of surgeons during his 50 years of teaching. He was a brilliant educator. He sought to help lower socioeconomic children by creating the High School for the Health Professions. As a gifted scholar he wrote over 1,600 works including two New York Times best sellers. He also helped to establish the National Library of Medicine. Today the National Library of Medicine is one of the largest and most prestigious medical archives in the world.
Nations all over the world have bestowed many honors on Dr. DeBakey. He has been the recipient of 50 honorary degrees and over 200 awards. In 1969, President Lyndon Johnson bestowed upon him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest honor a US citizen can receive. President Ronald Regan honored him with the National Medal of Science in 1987. In 2008 he was award the Congressional Gold Medal.
“In 1992, Dr. DeBakey was inducted into the Academy of Athens, a society of scholars founded by Greek philosopher Plato. Although membership is generally restricted to Greeks to who have made exceptional contributions to the arts, science, or literature, an exception was made in Dr. DeBakey’s case, as it was for Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill, in view of their extraordinary achievements.” (DeBakey Dept of Surgery)
American Heart Association President Dr. Timothy Gardner stated, “Michael DeBakey is a legend in cardiovascular medicine and is personally responsible for developing the field of cardiovascular surgery. He single handedly started surgery of the aorta and his pioneering work in heart surgery was critical in bringing life saving therapy to millions of patients throughout the world. His advances will continue to be the building blocks for new treatments and surgical procedures for years to come.”
Dr. DeBakey is responsible for creating the field of cardiovascular surgery and preventive surgery for strokes. He has saved the lives of a countless number of patients. When he began his medical career heart disease was basically a death sentence. Today, thanks to his contributions, patients with heart disease now have many surgical and treatment options. Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey has successfully changed the world.
Works Cited
Associated Press. "Dr. Michael DeBakey, whose heart surgery innovations saved countless lives, dead at age 99." 12 July 2008. New York City News, NY Daily News. 21 July 2009 <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/07/12/2008-07-12_dr_michael_debakeywhose_heart_surgery_in.html?page=0>.
"Dr. Michael DeBakey "is a magician of the heart"" NIH Medline Plus Winter 3 (2008): 18-19. Dr. Michael DeBakey "is a magician of the heart" National Institutes of Health. 21 July 2009 <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/winter08/articles/winter08pg18-19.html>.
Dr. DeBakey looking thoughtful in a white coat and surgical cap. 2008. Photograph. In Memoraim, Michael E. DeBaker, M.D. - Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. Baylor College of Medicine, 17 July 2008. Web. <http://www.bcm.edu/pa/debakey/>.>.
"Dr. Michael DeBakey, Medical Trailblazer and Longtime Friend of NLM, Dies at 99." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Web. 25 July 2009. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/news/debakey_dies.html>.
Former President and CEO, Chancellor Emeritus. "Michael E. DeBakey, M.D." In Memoraim, Michael E. DeBaker, M.D. - Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. 17 July 2008. Baylor College of Medicine. 21 July 2009 http://www.bcm.edu/pa/debakey/
"In Memoriam, Michael E. DeBakey, M.D. - Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas." Baylor College of Medicine - Houston, Texas. Web. 25 July 2009. http://www.bcm.edu/pa/debakey.
Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. Web. 25 July 2009. http://www.debakeydepartmentofsurgery.org/home/content.cfm?content_id=287.
Nainggolan, Lisa. "Surigical maestro DeBakey dies at age 99." Theheart.org: Cardiology news, educational programming, and opinions. Web. 27 July 2009. http://theheart.org/article/881919.do.
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