Pioneer in Heart Surgeries Dies at 99

HOUSTON – A half century ago, as Dr. Michael E. DeBakey pushed forward with his groundbreaking research and maverick approach to medicine, heart surgery was a medical marvel.

Today, in part from Dr. DeBakey’s contributions, it routinely saves the lives of thousands of people each day.

The famous cardiovascular surgeon, who pioneered such now-common procedures as bypass surgery and invented a host of devices to help heart patients, died Friday night in Houston at the age of 99.

Dr. DeBakey died from “natural causes” shortly after arriving at the hospital, according to a statement issued early Saturday by Baylor College of Medicine and Methodist Hospital. He died at The Methodist Hospital, whose heart and vascular center bears his name.

Dr. DeBakey, whose career spanned more than 70 years, counted world leaders among his patients and helped turn Baylor from a provincial school into one of the nation’s great medical institutions.

Originally published by Associated Press.

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