Profession
Renowned heart surgeon dies at 99
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 4, 2008
Pioneering heart surgeon Michael E. DeBakey, MD, died of natural causes on July 11 at The Methodist Hospital in his hometown of Houston, bringing to a close a 70-year career that revolutionized the practice of cardiovascular medicine.
The 99-year-old cardiovascular surgeon was renowned for a long list of medical innovations, including developing aortocoronary bypass surgery, the artificial heart, heart transplants and the ventricular assist device.
In April, just months before his death, Dr. DeBakey was honored for his contributions to medical science with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award a civilian can receive.
In 1959, the American Medical Association gave him the AMA's Distinguished Service Award following such accomplishments as the invention of the roller pump and the first patch-graft angioplasty.
Dr. DeBakey was a Baylor College of Medicine chancellor emeritus and senior attending surgeon at The Methodist Hospital.
He is survived by his wife, a daughter, two sons and two sisters.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/08/04/prbf0804.htm.












