Heart Quotes

“In Detroit, Dr. Forest Dodrill, a surgeon at Wayne State University, collaborated with engineers at General Motors Research to develop a mechanical pump capable of supporting the circulation of an adult. The resulting stainless-steel and glass device, the Dodrill-GMR mechanical heart pump, had multiple cylinders from which blood circulated and, perhaps not surprisingly, bore an uncanny resemblance to a Cadillac V-12 automobile engine. The device was intended to temporarily replace either the right or left ventricle and was first used in 1952 to support a patient for fifty minutes while Dr. Dodrill repaired a mitral valve.”
― Dick Cheney, Heart: An American Medical Odyssey

“the artery supplying the front (anterior) wall of Cheney’s heart, the left anterior descending (LAD), did not have significant narrowing. Absent a significant blockage in that critical vessel, sometimes indelicately called “the widowmaker,” bypass surgery is usually no better than medical therapy in improving survival.”
― Dick Cheney, Heart: An American Medical Odyssey

“I still consider Dr. Davis’s reminder that “hard work never killed anyone” some of the finest medical advice I have ever received. I believe it sustained me through my four subsequent heart attacks and the numerous other cardiac challenges I faced as I pursued my career in public service. For that, I will always be grateful.”
― Dick Cheney, Heart: An American Medical Odyssey