In cardiac medicine, Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey is the undisputed pioneer of this century, maybe even in history. The design of the ventricular assist device (VAD), the Dacron-created artificial blood vessel and his many other firsts revolutionized heart surgery (specifically aortic surgery) forever. In fact, his contributions were enormous and left and amazing legacy. DeBakey was known to have a temper and that he was a very difficult surgeon to work with. However, even his critics could not deny the impact he had on the world of medicine. In his early nineties, he still practiced surgery. DeBakey was a man that accomplished all he set out to do and died on early July 2008.