Michael E. DeBakey (1908–2008)

Michael E. DeBakey, Surgeon, Scientist, Innovator, and Administrator (1908–2008)

Hines, George L. MD

Author Information

Division of Vascular Surgery, NYU Winthrop Hospital, Mineola, New York

The author has no conflicts of interest to report.

I was recently giving a talk to third-year medical students about aortic dissections. During this talk, I discussed the contribution of Dr. Michael DeBakey to the field of aortic dissection. I assumed that every medical student would know about him, probably the preeminent cardiovascular surgeon of the 20th century. I was stunned when none of the students had even heard of Dr. DeBakey.

I think it is important to be aware of the contributions of our predecessors, and no one has made a greater contribution than Dr. DeBakey. My disclosure in this review is that I never personally worked with him, but one of my closest associates spent 2 years as a fellow at Baylor and maintained a lifelong friendship with his mentor. The only time I personally saw Dr. DeBakey was when he was in his early 90s and he was giving a talk at the New York Academy of Medicine. He took the steps to the podium 2 at a time in his cowboy boots and gave a 45-minute talk that was probably one of the most articulate lectures I ever heard.

Michael DeBakey was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in 1908. His parents were Lebanese immigrants who apparently instilled in their son the concepts of hard work and a desire to excel. He attended college and medical school at Tulane. He began a surgical residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. While there, he met 2 surgeons who greatly influenced his later professional life: Dr. Rudolph Matas, who had developed endoaneurysmorrhaphy for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm, and Dr. Alton Ochsner. Both of these doctors were surgical greats of their era. While a resident, Dr. DeBakey did research involving many general surgical issues including peptic ulcer disease and subphrenic abscess. He also developed a roller pump to aid in blood transfusions. This roller pump concept was later to become an integral part of the heart-lung machine.1/.../