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The artificial heart valve

Nature Medicine volume 13, pages 1160–1164 (2007)Cite this article

So much in life is determined by being in the right place at the right time, and by being prepared and bold enough to seize opportunities as they present themselves.

I was prepared in large part by Columbia University—as an undergraduate at Columbia College, then as a medical student at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and finally as a resident training in both general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery. A surgical internship at Johns Hopkins with the great Alfred Blalock provided a southern flavor to my Northeast background.

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Figure 1
Figure 2: Bi-leaflet valve designs.
Figure 3: Ball valve designs.
Figure 4: Success in humans.
Figure 5: Later developments.

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Acknowledgements

I need to thank my colleagues and comrades in arms: J.A. Wood, my friend and partner who developed the fine details of operative technique necessary for successful outcome and who slept alongside our early patients in the intensive care unit; R. Herr; R. Kendall; and C. McCord. They were great cardiac surgeons who assisted on our early cases. They were the surgical core surrounded by cardiologists, nephrologists, neurologists and many other specialists who allowed heart-valve replacement to become a standard, low-risk operation with predictable outcomes. Most importantly, I must thank the patients, who trusted me.

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  1. Albert Starr is at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, 9155 Southwest Barnes Road, Suite 240, Portland, Oregon 97225, USA. astarr@starrwood.com,

    Albert Starr

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Royalties from intellectual property: patents on heart valve components

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Starr, A. The artificial heart valve. Nat Med 13, 1160–1164 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1644

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