Michael DeBakey, Consummate Medical Geek, Dead At 99

NIckGorton writes "Dr. Michael DeBakey, the father of modern heart surgery, died this week at age 99. He was integral to the development of pretty much everything in modern cardiovascular surgery: bypass (heart-lung machines that made open-heart surgery possible for the first time), coronary artery bypass surgery (he did the first one ever), carotid endarterectomey (again he performed the first one), the development of Dacron graft blood vessels, and the development of MASH units. He was a consummate geek and numerous surgical instruments bear his name. He was also the first surgeon to videotape surgeries — in the 1960s. He was considered by the NEJM to be the single greatest surgeon alive until two days ago. In his career he performed over 50,000 heart surgeries and practiced medicine (though not surgery) until the day he died. In 2005 he underwent the Debakey procedure, which he pioneered, to treat the aortic dissection he suffered."

Comments

Awesome Man

[EdIII]

That man was truly awesome. I don't believe in the Christian god, but I don't believe in a black void either. Wherever he went I hope it's everything he deserves and I pray for that.

What an incredible contribution to science and medical technology. The number of lives that man had affected with his work.

50,000 heart surgeries? That is tireless work. If he started at 30 and worked till the day he died, that is about 2 surgeries a day. He was unable to perform surgery for the last part of his life, so it was more like 3-5 surgeries a day. That's over 50,000 people that got to live longer with their families because of him DIRECTLY. How many other people survived because of his advancements? Millions? probably, and possibly more than that.

This man was truly awesome in every sense of the word, and inspiring to others. Anybody working in any scientific field hopes to make such a contribution to the world.

May he rest in piece.

Re:Awesome Man

[Simpsoid]

I too don't believe in any god's, but may god rest his soul. Men and women like this are truely an asset to humanity and the human race. It's dedication like this to the sciences and arts that really makes the human spirit shine. So wherever you are Dr. DeBakey, I hope you are in peace.

Re:Awesome Man

[cduffy]

By leaving the poor, the desolate, the hungry to die, we are negating all advances made by society.

How so?

Re:Awesome Man

[Kamokazi]

I agree...not a god person here either, but if there is any sort of afterlife he deserves the very best. Mark my grandfather under the millions he indirectly affected. He is still alive thanks in no small part to this man's work. I knew of him, but had no idea he performed that many surgeries on his own. Simply astounding. The saddest part is, more people will remember idiots like G. W. Bush than this man.

Re:Awesome Man

[yorugua]

Look at this at the Wikipedia. This guy was really something. May he rest in peace, wherever he is. And thank you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_DeBakey

Honors

* Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Academy of Medical Films

* American Heart Association (AHA)

* Children Uniting Nations

* Encyclopaedia Britannica

* Foundation for Biomedical Research

* International College of Angiology

* International Health and Medical Film Festival

* Research! America

* Tulane Medical Alumni Association

* U.S. Army Legion of Merit (1945)

* American Medical Association Hektoen Gold Medal (1954 and 1970)

* Rudolph Matas Award in Vascular Surgery (1954)

* International Society of Surgery Distinguished Service Award (1958)

* Leriche Award (1959)

* American Medical Association Distinguished Service Award (1959)

* Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research (1963)

* American Medical Association Billings Gold Medal Exhibit Award (1967)

* American Heart Association Gold Heart Award (1968)

* Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Academy of Sciences 50th Anniversary Jubilee Medal (1973)

* Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Foreign Member (1974)

* Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander-in-Chiefâ(TM)s Medal and Citation (1980)

* American Surgical Association Distinguished Service Award (1981)

* Academy of Surgical Research Markowitz Award (1988)

* Association of American Medical Colleges Special Recognition Award (1988)

* American Legion Distinguished Service Award (1990)

* Premio Giuseppe Corradi Award for Surgery and Scientific Research (1997)

* Russian Military Medical Academy, Boris Petrovsky International Surgeons Award and First Laureate of the Boris Petrovsky Gold Medal (1997)

* John P. McGovern Compleat Physician Award (1999)

* Russian Academy of Sciences Foreign Member (1999)

* Texas Senate and House of Representatives, Adoption of resolutions honoring Dr. DeBakey for 50 years of medical practice in Texas (1999)

* American Medical Association Virtual Mentor Award (2000)

* American Philosophical Society Jonathan Rhoads Medal (2000)

* Library of Congress Bicentennial Living Legend Award (2000)

* Villanova University Mendel Medal Award (2001)

* Houston Hall of Fame (2001)

* NASA Invention of the Year Award (2001)

* MUSC[1] "Lindbergh-Carrel Prize"[2](2002)

* Congressional Gold Medal (April 23, 2008)

Re:Awesome Man

[Anonymous Coward]

If he started at 30 and worked till the day he died, that is about 2 surgeries a day. He was unable to perform surgery for the last part of his life, so it was more like 3-5 surgeries a day.

DeBakey started performing surgery in his late twenties and continued to perform heart surgery well into his 90s - his pace deteriorated until about 2003-04, when health conditions forced him to stop.

To put that in perspective, he performed heart surgery for more than 60 years. He practiced medicine for about 75 years.

How many of you have lived half that long?

Re:Awesome Man

[The End Of Days]

Because the poor are a necessary drag to keep the human race from advancing too far too fast.

At least that's the best I can come up with. Maybe the parent is a believer in the myth of the noble poor or something.

Re:Awesome Man

[wazza]

From the Wikipedia page:

and in 1953 he performed the first successful carotid endarterectomy.

This man is a brilliant bloke, and a bit of a bloody legend.

I've never met the man, but because of only one of the things he pioneered, I can tell people who've just found out - after I've done an ultrasound - they've got an 80-99% blockage of their carotid artery, that they can have a short, straightforward surgery and have an excellent chance of not having any side-effects.

This beats the daylights out of having a (possibly massive) stroke, which is what happened before endarterectomy and stenting.

I can't imagine the alternative - "Yeah, you've got a critical blockage of one of your arteries. Unfortunately there's nothing we can do about it. Go home and try not to have a stroke."

Anyways, a posthumous thanks & cheers! from someone who is fortunate enough to get the advantage of your work nearly every week.

Welcome back.

[gcnaddict]

First comment since 2006 and this is what you post?

I had the option of modding you down, but it felt more appropriate to bring this up instead.

Re:Welcome back.

[nrgy]

Comcast has been throttling his posts... This is the first to get through ;)

And Yet....

[Anonymous Coward]

I found it rather sad (or just perplexing) that his obit was overshadowed by the death of Tony Snow, a journalist.

NBC News (Saturday) didn't even mention him at all, but did have a glowing 3+ piece on Snow.

Re:And Yet....

[Anonymous Coward]

Journalists take care of their own, just like politicians take care of their own when it comes to naming bridges, buildings, and streets. "Gee, that guy worked hard every day, he deserves to be honored for the next 200 years". Not to people outside that profession thoughs.

I hope that when Dick Cheney passes away, some publications will have the good sense to report it as follows: "Former VP Richard Cheney passed away today. We extend our condolences to his family and friends. Now, let's move on."

Ah, crap.

[gcnaddict]

Thanks, Slashdot. My post was aimed at Keyseir (968368, poster of the First Post. Seems like clicking Reply to This didn't really go as planned.

Sorry about that. Feel free to mod down.

Re:That's going to cause a bit of confusion

[Jafafa Hots]

Its worse than that.

"Nurse, DeBakey please.."

"Which DeBakey?"

The DeBakey Clamp.

Which DeBakey Clamp?

Grim specter of death

[Anonymous Coward]

Little over a year ago I was almost run over by a Porsche in the Texas Medical Center that looked like it was being driven by the grim specter of geath. Turns out it was DeBakey. I was later told by a friend at Baylor College of Medicine that DeBakey was still practicing when he felt like it! What a stud. 97 years old (at the time), still practicing medicine, and still spry enough to terrorize rogue jay-walkers in his 911. Via con dios, old man.

Re:Grim specter of death

[Trouvist]

Actually, that was probably me. Sorry about that. And no, I'm not joking.

Not nearly enough recognition

[fermion]

As a disclaimer, I grew up hearing about this man my entire life. I think that there a very few people who have done as much for Houston, for Texas, the United State, or the world, as he did.

To put in a large perspective, for example, Texas crashed when oil crashed in the late 70's. In response, Texas diversified. DeBakey was one of a small number of people that truly drove that diversification, making Texas not only rich in oil, but rich in more long term wealth like research and cutting edge technology. He worked with innovations around him to help create what is now one of the greatest medical complexes in the world. Surely he worked with many other people, and many other tech workers, but he certainly was one of the people that kept texas from becoming a backwater, like so many other states that has not invested so much in the future.

And speaking of the future, The High School for Health Professions is a public Houston Independent School District high school. It was not built in the suburbs or in the demographically acceptable area, like some special high schools. It used to be located on the ass end on the Texas Medical Center, but when the built it for real they made it accessible to a cross section of students. It is almost 1/3 asian, 1/3 black, and 1/3 Hispanic or white. Whites are low presumably because so few whites live in the area. The school is nearly 50% free or reduced lunch, nearly 10% at risk, which is good for a school where 1/3 of the students are GT and 2/3 are in honors classes. This is not a school where the elite train the elite. This is not a school where the faint of heart go for college prep knowing full well that they have legacy to get them into an ivy league school. This is a school where slightly above average kids can go to get educated, without having to deal with the losers who would waste the opportunity/

This man did a lot, and has been recognized more than enough. But here is what rubs the geek side of me the wrong way. A man who boozes his way though life, swindles funding for projects that never quite succeed, and on a fluke gets elected president has an airport named after him, while someone like Debakey has spent his entire life helping people, does note. Not to be critical, but something seems not quite right.

Re:Not nearly enough recognition

[Sanat]

I am sure that many identify with what you are saying.

I though tend to detach from what seems to be the unfairness of life. Why does someone get 99 years and another only 18 years... the truth is that there is no true understanding.

The Dalai Lama said (paraphrased)

My friends will pass away

My enemies will pass away

My happiness and dreams will pass away

My sorrows and failures will pass away

I, and the reflection of that who I am, too will pass away

Re:Not nearly enough recognition

[iluvcapra]

My friends will pass away
My enemies will pass away
My happiness and dreams will pass away
My sorrows and failures will pass away
I, and the reflection of that who I am, too will pass away

Remarkable statement for a man that has been reincarnated over a dozen times...

Re:Not nearly enough recognition

[Free the Cowards]

Hey, he didn't say permanently.

"Consummate geek"

[Otter]

It's possible that DeBakey was indeed some sort of "geek", even a consummate one, but that's not indicated by anything mentioned here or in the link. I've never quite understood the logic by which anime-obsessed, Monty Python-incessantly-quoting dweebs attach themselves onto everyone else's technical achievements.

Re:"Consummate geek"

[exley]

To me it felt more like the word "geek" was included just to justify it being on Slashdot and fend off some of the inevitable "WTF is this doing on Slashdot?" Posts. Both of which would be stupid, since this is science and technology related -- neither of which are off-topic here.

"Geek" is such a nebulous term anyway. Anyone with sufficient interest in something can be considered a geek. Of course, around here, the word does have a certain connotation.

Re:"Consummate geek"

[Kingrames]

Clearly you didn't read enough of the article.
When he died, his hair was purple and he was wearing a shirt that said "+1 Shirt".

Re:"Consummate geek"

[MrMista_B]

Because, "anime-obsessed, Monty Python-incessantly-quoting dweebs" isn't the only definition of "geek", though it is a derogatory one.

"Geek", as I understand the term, usually refers to someone who excels at, is fascinated by, and focuses on one particular thing, often though not always of a scientific or technical nature.

However, in the case of the late, esteemed Michael DeBakey, perhaps "hacker" might be the more appropriate term, given the hands-on nature of his work - a hacker of the human body, in the best, most respectful sense of the term.

Re:"Consummate geek"

[Anonymous Coward]

So the proof isn't in the link. So what?

He begged his parents to convince the library to let him check out the Encyclopedia Brittanica. He was a kid. His parents bought him a set, which he read, cover to cover, start to finish.

He was fascinated with medicine. His father was a pharmacist, and when other kids his age were obsessing over the usual stuff - musicians, athletes, girls - he was plotting his course as a doctor - a detailed course: exactly what classes he'd take, where he'd go to college, how he'd get his degrees.

He studied so hard that he finished his doctorate at the same time as his bachelor's. As a doctor, he completely immersed himself in his work and research as a doctor. Medicine was his job, his career, his hobby and his pastime. He loved the trivial details of his field to the point where he berated peers who didn't share the same appreciation (and, later, fired employees who cut sutures too long.)

He worked 12-hour days because he wanted to, and he did it for 75 years because he wanted to.

Here's a test: Enter an argument with the biggest ______ geek you can find about the best ______ in that topic. Take up a contrary argument and see how riled up s/he gets. Amplify it a few magnitudes and that's how DeBakey was about cardiology. Until maybe the last two years of his life, that's how he was with anything involving medicine.

(Speaking of those last two years: he had them because he underwent a surgical procedure he developed himself some 30 years prior. Reusing old work to save his own life? Check. ;) )

He was a wetware hacker in 1932, inventing the key component of the heart-lung pump - the device that enables open-heart surgery - as a 23-year-old college student. He hacked Dacron into artificial arteries using his wife's sewing machine. He invented one of the earliest artificial hearts and pioneered transplant science - all before the influences of computers, small-scale fabrication, simulation.

Intellectual pursuit of trivia at the expense of social grace? Aggressive top-dog behavior among his peers, instinctual shyness outside of his element? A constant desire to tinker, to create, to improvise?

Anyone, anyone, anyone who worked with DeBakey and knows the definition of the term "geek" would happily - and honorably - apply it to him, and strive to meet it. If anyone deserved it as an honorific, it's DeBakey. Consummate indeed, and we should all work to be half as deserving of the title in our fields.

- former Baylor med student

â Opposing view: He was also a decorated Army vet. He was a graceful statesman for medicine and public advocate for education. He was rarely out of shape, even when illness confined him to a wheelchair in his last months. He enjoyed media attention and had a large, active group of friends.

He also married a hot actress half his age and drove a sports car to work every day until he couldn't drive himself anymore â" about age 96. But if you had his money and fame, hell, wouldn't you?

Triage

[tomhudson]

Exactly. By leaving the poor, the desolate, the hungry to die, we are negating all advances made by society.

Malthus still wants his due. As some point we're going to have to have some sort of triage.

We can't save everyone, and neither should we. We need to remove between $X and $X+$Y (where both $X and $Y are in the billions) people from the planet. How do you want to do it? War? Famine? Disease? Drought?

By not taking action new, we're condemning a lot MORE people to suffer in the future.

Compared to that, compulsory abortion after the second kid is a blessing.

Re:Triage

[QuoteMstr]

Prosperity does more to curb fertility than withholding of medical care, you cruel, cruel man.

Separated at birth?

[Eric Wayte]

Dr. DeBakey - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debakey
Prof. Farnsworth - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_J._Farnsworth

Re:thank god he wasn't a muslim

[cailith1970]

I've been lurking for a long time on /. but this post was enough to finally make me create an account.

Troll.

Dr DeBakey deserves a far better send off than the racist ramblings of a coward like you. May he be happy wherever he wound up from here.

This man helped save my life

[thewiz]

I've had three open-heart surgeries due to Tetralogy of Fallot. Shortly before my second surgery, I caught chicken pox from a classmate. The chicken pox trashed my immune system and I also had bacterial endocarditis, encephalitis, spinal meningitis, pneumonia, and Reyes Syndrome. Dr. Denton Cooley did the surgery with Dr. DeBakey assisting. They cleaned the endocarditis out of my heart, by hand, put a porcine valve in the aortic opening, and replace the badly infected dacron patch on my VSD.

I'm going to miss him. :(

Re:This man helped save my life

[duuude_pirx]

You are my favourite episode of House.

I was about to say...

[Ihmhi]

...where the fuck is his Presidential Medal of Freedom, but it turns out that he's already been awarded one almost 50 years ago. His list of honors and accolades is huge:

* Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Academy of Medical Films
* American Heart Association (AHA)
* Children Uniting Nations
* Encyclopaedia Britannica
* Foundation for Biomedical Research
* International College of Angiology
* International Health and Medical Film Festival
* Research! America
* Tulane Medical Alumni Association
* U.S. Army Legion of Merit (1945)
* American Medical Association Hektoen Gold Medal (1954 and 1970)
* Rudolph Matas Award in Vascular Surgery (1954)
* International Society of Surgery Distinguished Service Award (1958)
* Leriche Award (1959)
* American Medical Association Distinguished Service Award (1959)
* Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research (1963)
* American Medical Association Billings Gold Medal Exhibit Award (1967)
* American Heart Association Gold Heart Award (1968)
* Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Academy of Sciences 50th Anniversary Jubilee Medal (1973)
* Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Foreign Member (1974)
* Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander-in-Chiefâ(TM)s Medal and Citation (1980)
* American Surgical Association Distinguished Service Award (1981)
* Academy of Surgical Research Markowitz Award (1988)
* Association of American Medical Colleges Special Recognition Award (1988)
* American Legion Distinguished Service Award (1990)
* Premio Giuseppe Corradi Award for Surgery and Scientific Research (1997)
* Russian Military Medical Academy, Boris Petrovsky International Surgeons Award and First Laureate of the Boris Petrovsky Gold Medal (1997)
* John P. McGovern Compleat Physician Award (1999)
* Russian Academy of Sciences Foreign Member (1999)
* Texas Senate and House of Representatives, Adoption of resolutions honoring Dr. DeBakey for 50 years of medical practice in Texas (1999)
* American Medical Association Virtual Mentor Award (2000)
* American Philosophical Society Jonathan Rhoads Medal (2000)
* Library of Congress Bicentennial Living Legend Award (2000)
* Villanova University Mendel Medal Award (2001)
* Houston Hall of Fame (2001)
* NASA Invention of the Year Award (2001)
* MUSC[1] "Lindbergh-Carrel Prize"[2](2002)
* Congressional Gold Medal (April 23, 2008)

Note that he not only won awards from the States, but the U.S.S.R. honored him with awards as well. Our mortal enemy for nearly 50 years recognized how great this guy is.

Has Bush said anything about this, or is he continuing to be an inept idiot ignorant of events in the scientific community?

I owe him my life as well . . .

[madmac63]

In 1970, I had open heart surgery to repair an aortic ventricular aneurysm. I was 7 years old. I was on a heart-lung machine for the surgery, and my surgeon, Jay Ankeney, was undoubtable a denizen or Dr. DeBakey. At the time, open heart surgery was rare and extremely risky, and nearly unheard of on a child. A few years ago, I had the chance to meet one of the leading cardiac surgeons in Chicago, and told him about my experience. When he found out a surgeon had done open heart on a 7 year old in 1970 he exclaimed "that guy must have had steel balls to try and pull that off." DeBakey had a pair of big brass ones - EVERY time he cut into a patient, that patient was in jeopardy of dying soon, and dying from the procedure - a rock and a hard place. And he did it over and over. While 50,000 people owe him a direct debt, we all owe him an enormous one. I for one will recall his blessings.

early riser

[sonchat]

His father, a pharmacist, taught him to rise early and avoid wasting time

He's no geek!

Emigrant Parents

[sasha328]

I grew up in the town where his parents (the Dabaghi's which was later anglicised to DeBakey) came from in South Lebanon.

When I was still in that town, over 30 years ago he was a very famous man in that (his family is a big part of town as well) and in the sixties when he visited his relatives there was accorded great honours.

Anyway, I reckon his fame and his ability to achieve great things were great conributing factors that lead many people in that town to also emigrate to US and also achieve many great things as US citizens.

It shows that migrants are able to contribute considerably t their adoptive society than most people fear.