Denton Cooley
Born 1920 · Age 105
American cardiothoracic surgeon; founder and surgeon-in-chief of the Texas Heart Institute; performed first clinical implantation of a total artificial heart; pioneer in heart transplantation, bypass, valve surgery, and cardiopulmonary bypass.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth
Born in Houston, Texas, to Ralph Clarkson Cooley and Mary Augusta (Fraley) Cooley.
High school graduation from San Jacinto High School
Graduated from San Jacinto High School in Houston; excelled in academics and basketball and contributed to the school paper.
Enrolled at University of Texas at Austin
Entered UT Austin on a basketball scholarship; majored in zoology and played varsity basketball.
Southwest Conference basketball champion (UT)
Member of the University of Texas Longhorns team that won the 1939 Southwest Conference Championship.
Completed B.A. in zoology, UT Austin
Graduated Phi Beta Kappa, with highest honors, B.A. majoring in zoology.
Entered University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston)
Began medical school at UT Medical Branch in Galveston (later transferred).
Transferred to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Transferred medical training to Johns Hopkins (timing approximate within 1941–1944 period).
MD degree awarded (Johns Hopkins)
Graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine with highest honors and Alpha Omega Alpha.
Assisted in first 'blue baby' operation (Blalock-Taussig)
As a Johns Hopkins trainee, assisted Dr. Alfred Blalock in the historic operation correcting congenital 'blue baby' syndrome; cited as formative for Cooley's specialization in heart surgery.
Called to active duty, U.S. Army Medical Corps
Entered active service; served at the 124th Station Hospital in Linz, Austria as chief of surgical services.
Promoted to Army captain
While serving in the Army Medical Corps, attained rank of captain.
Discharged from Army; returned to Johns Hopkins residency
Returned to Baltimore to complete surgical residency and remained as an instructor in surgery.
Married Louise Goldsborough Thomas
Married Louise Thomas (head nurse at Johns Hopkins); marriage lasted 67 years until her death in 2016.
Pioneered new method to remove aortic aneurysms
Worked with DeBakey on techniques for aortic aneurysm removal; Cooley developed a new surgical method that became influential.
Senior surgical registrar at Royal Brompton Hospital, London
Traveled to London to work and study with Lord Russell Brock and served as senior surgical registrar, performing many operations and honing surgical technique.
First child born (Mary Fraley Cooley)
Birth of first daughter Mary (first of five daughters).
Returned to Houston; joined Baylor College of Medicine faculty
Joined Baylor College of Medicine as associate professor of surgery and practiced at The Methodist Hospital; began collaboration with Michael DeBakey.
Extended practice to Texas Children's and St. Luke's
By mid-1950s Cooley extended practice to include Texas Children's Hospital and St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital.
Cardiopulmonary bypass machine design used successfully
Cooley's cardiopulmonary bypass design was the machine successfully used at Methodist Hospital, enabling immobilization of the heart during surgery.
Moved practice from Methodist to St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital
Relocated clinical practice and continued teaching at Baylor; move was proximate (about 300 feet) but significant professionally.
Founded the Texas Heart Institute (THI)
Established the privately funded Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital; served as founder and surgeon-in-chief.
Start of concentrated artificial heart-valve development (1962–1967)
Cooley and colleagues pursued development of artificial heart valves; valve-transplant mortality fell from ~70% (1962) to ~8% (1967).
Awarded René Leriche Prize (International Surgical Society)
Received the Society's highest honor; citation called him 'the most valuable surgeon of the heart and blood vessels anywhere in the world.'
Golden Plate Award (American Academy of Achievement)
Received the Golden Plate Award in recognition of career achievements (award year cited as 1968).
Performed 22 heart transplants over the next year
After the first transplant, Cooley and team performed 22 transplants in the subsequent year, including three within five days.
Performed first human heart transplant in the United States
On May 3, 1968 Cooley performed the first U.S. heart transplant, transplanting a heart from a 15-year-old donor into a 47-year-old recipient (patient survived 204 days).
Ethical/administrative controversy and censure; resigned Baylor
Following the artificial heart implant and disputes (including with Michael DeBakey over research ownership), Cooley was censured by the American College of Surgeons and resigned his faculty position at Baylor College of Medicine later that year.
Elected President, Johns Hopkins Medical and Surgical Association (1969–70)
Served as president of the association in 1969–1970 (noted leadership role).
Implanted world’s first total artificial heart in human
On April 4, 1969 Cooley implanted Domingo Liotta's total artificial heart in 47-year-old Haskell Karp; the device sustained life for ~64–65 hours until a donor heart was located.
Founded Cullen Cardiovascular Surgical Research Laboratory
Established Cullen Lab to focus on mechanical circulatory assist devices and related research.
Reached major surgical-volume milestones by 1972
By 1972 Cooley had performed over 1,200 coronary artery bypasses and had personally performed or led teams performing ~10,000 open-heart operations—more than any other surgeon at the time.
Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society founded
Residents and fellows trained by Cooley established the society at the Texas Heart Institute to honor him; it fostered camaraderie and scholarship among trainees.
Awarded Theodore Roosevelt Award (NCAA)
Received NCAA's Theodore Roosevelt Award honoring a varsity athlete who achieved national recognition in his profession.
Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
Received the nation's highest civilian award from President Ronald Reagan for contributions to medical science.
Performed infant heart transplant on 'Baby Sara' (Sara Remington)
Performed a transplant on an 8-month-old Sara Remington on Nov 1, 1984; Cooley described it as a pilot study for infant transplants; Sara was the youngest surviving recipient at that time.
Death of daughter Florence (suicide)
Daughter Florence Cooley committed suicide in 1985; a significant personal tragedy for the family.
Filed for bankruptcy protection
Cooley filed for bankruptcy in January 1988, citing heavy real estate debts resulting from a market downturn.
Awarded National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Presented the National Medal of Technology by President Bill Clinton (recognizing technological and medical innovation).
AATS Scientific Achievement Award; Grand Hamdan International Award (2000)
Received major international accolades including AATS Scientific Achievement Award and Grand Hamdan International Award in 2000.
Texas Heart Institute team reaches 100,000 open-heart operations
By 2001 Cooley and his associates at THI reached the milestone of 100,000 open-heart operations.
Denton A. Cooley Building completed (Texas Heart Institute)
New Texas Heart Institute building (Denton A. Cooley Building) completed, funded largely by donations from patients, friends and colleagues.
Denton A. Cooley Pavilion (UT) opened / named in his honor
The practice and training facility for UT men's and women's basketball (Denton A. Cooley Pavilion) opened and was named after him.
Stopped performing surgery (approximate)
Cooley continued operating until about age 87 (circa 2007); after that he made rounds and remained active clinically and educationally.
Public reconciliation with Michael E. DeBakey
After a decades-long feud the two legendary surgeons publicly reconciled at an event where DeBakey accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society.
Received American Surgical Association Medallion of Scientific Achievement
Awarded the Medallion of Scientific Achievement for 'Distinguished Service to Surgery' in April 2010.
Published autobiography '100,000 Hearts: A Surgeon's Memoir'
Released his memoir reflecting on decades of surgical practice and the establishment of the Texas Heart Institute.
Career publication corpus reported
By late career Cooley had authored more than 1,400 scientific articles and 12 books (career totals reported).
AATS Lifetime Achievement Award (year awarded to Cooley)
Cooley received the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 (recognized by AATS site).
Death of spouse Louise Thomas Cooley
Louise Cooley, wife of 67 years, died in October 2016 (preceded Denton by weeks).
Death
Denton A. Cooley died at his home in Houston; buried in Glenwood Cemetery.
Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society membership growth (legacy)
As of 2020 the society founded by his trainees boasted more than ~850 members worldwide, reflecting his enduring legacy.
Key Achievement Ages
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