| Born | Michel Dabaghi
September 7, 1908 Lake Charles, Louisiana, US |
| Died | July 11, 2008 (aged 99)
Houston, Texas, US |
Maestro of heart surgery and the most famous in the world. The first to perform surgery to repair a hole in the heart, the first to perform an operation via television, and the first to try to develop an artificial heart. “America owes you, let me hug you on behalf of millions!” President Nixon told him when he was honored at the White House.
Dabaghi’s surgical improvements protected coronary pass operations, carotid endarterectomy, synthetic hearts and ventricular help devices. He used polyethylene terephthalate (Dacron) grafts to update or restore blood vessels and pioneered surgical upkeep of aortic aneurysms, an operation he himself underwent on the age of 97. Dabaghi acquired some of awards, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, and the Congressional Gold Medal. In addition, some of establishments endure his name.
