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DeBakey Surgical Innovations

An assortment of surgical innovations, designed by Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, was on display at the Oct. 18 groundbreaking ceremony for the Michael E. DeBakey Library & Museum.

Surgical Film Stand

In the 1960s, Dr. DeBakey and his team of surgeons were among the first to record surgeries on film. A camera operator would lie prone atop a surgical film stand made to Dr. DeBakey's specifications and record a surgeon's eye view of the operating area. The camera and lights were positioned within 3 to 4 feet of the operative field yet did not interfere with the surgical team. Use of the device required a skilled understanding of the surgery on the part of the cameraman.

Several versions of the crane-like stand were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s in BCM's machine shop. The third version, on display at the groundbreaking ceremony, is a hydraulic, tilting, stainless steel model designed and operated by BCM employee Joe Zwer.

Roller Pump

At age 23, while still in medical school at Tulane University in New Orleans, Dr. DeBakey invented the roller pump, the significance of which was not realized for another 20 years, when it became an essential component of the heart-lung machine. The pump provided a continuous flow of blood during the operating procedure.

Heart-Lung Machine (with Heater-Cooler)

A Heart-Lung Machine (HLM) is a device that temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs and makes open-heart surgery possible. HLMs are commonly used in heart surgery because of the difficulty of operating on the beating heart. Operations requiring the opening of the chambers of the heart require the use of the HLM to support circulation during that period. Its heater-cooler device facilitates the quick and precise control of the patient's blood temperature.

Artificial Graft

The DeBakey artificial graft is used around the world to replace or repair blood vessels. A descendant of the Dacron® graft pioneered by Dr. DeBakey, this woven polyester graft is a synthetic tube used to replace or repair blood vessels. The graft causes very few reactions because it is chemically inert (harmless) and easily tolerated by the body. In 1958, to counteract narrowing of an artery caused by an endarterectomy (surgical removal of plaque from a blocked artery), Dr. DeBakey performed the first successful patch-graft angioplasty. This procedure involved patching the slit in the artery from an endarterectomy with a Dacron® or vein graft. The patch widens the artery so that when it is closed, the channel of the artery returns to normal size.

Axial Flow Pump (LVAD)

The MicroMed DeBakey left ventricular assist device (LVAD) axial blood flow pump was used as a bridge to heart transplantation in patients with terminal heart failure. Axial-flow pumps are a new generation of LVADs that offer a number of advantages over conventional pumps. They are small enough that they can be implanted as assist devices in a wide size-range of patients. Implantation is relatively simple, and complications are minimal.

Artificial Heart

Components of the artificial heart as it developed over time were also on display.