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| Vol. 24, No. 2 |
| February 1, 2002 |
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FROM THE PRESIDENT February is American Heart Month, and to acknowledge the occasion, Texas Medical Center News devotes this issue to the revolutionary advances being made in cardiac care today. Nowhere in the world is more exciting heart-related research taking place than here in the Texas Medical Center. We are fortunate to be home to the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center – two of the nation’s most highly regarded premier cardiac centers. On Jan. 17, a major milestone occurred at the Texas Heart Institute with the dedication of the Denton A. Cooley Building. The 10-story, $85 million facility is the new home of the Texas Heart Institute, which since its founding by Dr. Cooley in 1962, has been housed in St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital. Dr. Cooley continues to serve as president and surgeon in chief of the Institute, and is also chief of cardiovascular surgery at St. Luke’s. The Institute’s mission is to conduct research and education in cardiovascular disease, while its clinical partner, St. Luke’s, provides the patient care component. The relationship between the two institutions is stronger than ever, as evidenced by their ranking among the top 10 heart centers in the nation for 11 consecutive years in U.S. News & World Report’s "America’s Best Hospitals" survey. Over the years, the Texas Heart Institute has participated in numerous clinical trials designed to test new creations in cardiac care, and is one of five test sites for the current trial of the AbioCor artificial heart. More than a decade of these studies, led by Dr. O.H. Frazier, have led to the heart’s completion. Dr. Frazier is chief of cardiopulmonary transplantation and director of surgical research at the Texas Heart Institute, and chief of transplant service at St. Luke’s. Another premier cardiac center in the Texas Medical Center is the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center at The Methodist Hospital. Dr. Michael E. DeBakey has been affiliated with Methodist for more than 50 years. While a medical student in the 1930s, he conceived, designed and built the roller pump, a device that pumps blood through the body during open-heart surgery. In the 1950s, he created the first artificial arteries for cardiac bypass surgery, pioneered techniques for the repair of deteriorating arteries and heart valves, and developed a method for surgically clearing arteries leading to the brain, which set the standard for today’s surgical treatment of strokes. In 2000, the MicroMed DeBakey Ventricular Assist Device, a miniature implantable pump that helps a failing heart circulate blood, underwent clinical trials to test its effectiveness as a stopgap while patients wait for a donor heart. Last year, The Methodist Hospital’s heart surgery center was dedicated in Dr. DeBakey’s name. In 1950, virtually no heart surgeries were performed in Houston. Today, Texas Medical Center hospitals are internationally recognized for their superior cardiac care. To the physicians, health care professionals and researchers who made this possible, we extend our heartfelt appreciation.
©1996-2002 Texas Medical Center
E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
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