[[100 Welcome to Outlines of Technique in Cardiac Surgery]] # DeBakey Forceps Invented by Dr. Michael DeBakey (1908-2008) during his time at Baylor University to minimize vascular tissue injury during operative maneuvers. Born as Michael Ellis Debaghi to emigrants from Lebanon in Lake Charles, LA, he graduated medical school at Tulane University in 1932. During his time as a medical student, he studied under Rudolph Matas and Alton Ochsner, experiences that subsequently motivated him to pursue a career as a physician-scientist. ![[debakey-fellowship_FJBBHC.jpg]] Dr. DeBakey’s career spanned several decades and resulted in transformative and lasting effects on the broader field of surgery, particularly cardiovascular surgery. In addition to the DeBakey Forceps, he is credited with the development of the roller pump - an essential component of the modern cardio-pulmonary bypass - along with modernizing the organizational structure of medical care in the United States Military during World War II. He spent the bulk of his professional career at Baylor University in Houston, TX, where he went on to make significant operative and instrumental contributions to the surgical profession. Known as much for the intensity of his personality as for his brilliance, this larger than life individual was described by one of his pupils as , "proof of alien visitation in the Lake Pontchartrain area." His ground-breaking collaborations with Denton Cooley were interrupted by a schism over primacy in the implantation of a total artificial heart. This breach was ultimately healed after DeBakey recovered from the repair of an aortic dissection at age 98, the oldest known patient to survive the procedure which he helped pioneer and classify. Likely his most well-known invention, the DeBakey forceps are routinely used in nearly all surgical specialties. The forceps’ main advantage is the utilization of small serrations at the forcep jaw, which minimize the risk of tissue injury by allowing for delicate handling of vascular specimens. The relatively large metal grooves on the forcep handle allow for increased control by the surgeon, while the flat, semicircular end of the forcep can be used for blunt manipulation of tissue as needed. Excellent for grasping tissue with strength, and atraumatically. The multiple fine serrations act like the classic "bed of nails", as the pressure of the grasp is diffused through the multiple points so they do not penetrate the tissue. The coronary version of this forceps is on two simultaneous spectra for tissue handling and for needle handling. The Mills forceps is excellent for precise tissue grasping, the DeBakey coronary forceps is intermediate for precise tissue grasping at the tip, and the Gold is the worst. For needle handling, the Gold is the best, the DeBakey is intermediate, and the Mills the worst. ![[DeBakey Forceps and Tips.png]] Sources: Ailawadi, G., Nagji, A. S., & Jones, D. R. (2010). The legends behind cardiothoracic surgical instruments. The Annals of thoracic surgery, 89(5), 1693-1700. https://surtex-instruments.com/product/debakey-atrauma-forceps/ https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/spotlight/fj/feature/biographical https://www.operatingroomissues.org/debakey-forceps/