Inspirational Quotes by Michael DeBakey (American Surgeon)

Michael Ellis DeBakey (1908–2008) was an American cardiovascular surgeon and educator. A pioneer in heart-transplant surgery, he performed the first successful coronary artery bypass and developed devices and procedures that have become medical standards.

Born to Lebanese Christian immigrants in Lake Charles, Louisiana, DeBakey received his medical training at Tulane University. During World War II, he was on secondment to the U.S. army surgeon general’s department. DeBakey and Gordon Holcomb developed the first mobile army M*A*S*H surgical hospitals.

DeBakey taught surgery at Tulane until 1948 when he moved to Baylor University College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and led the DeBakey Heart Center since 1985.

With Denton Cooley and others, DeBakey developed a center of international reputation in cardiovascular surgery, and he did the first successful coronary bypass in 1963. DeBakey was mainly involved in the surgical treatment of aortic aneurysms and arterial occlusion through replacement with grafts.

DeBakey’s surgical career spanned more than a half-century. He operated on more than 60,000 patients, including many global celebrities. His operational innovations included coronary bypass operations, carotid endarterectomy, artificial hearts, and ventricular assist devices.

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