VASCULAR SURGERY AT OCHSNER

The story of vascular surgery at Ochsner Health begins with Dr. Alton Ochsner, succeeding the father of vascular surgery Rudolph Matas, as professor and chair of vascular surgery at Tulane. Throughout his career, Dr. Ochsner performed many important vascular procedures, including a caval ligation for treatment of thromboembolic venous disease on the famous golfer Ben Hogan. Undoubtedly, his most significant contribution to the field of vascular medicine was to be among the first of prominent physicians to establish the detrimental effects of tobacco smoking. He served as the first president of the Society for Vascular Surgery during its inaugural year, 1947.

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One of Dr. Ochsner’s most notable pupils was Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, a titan in the field of vascular surgery. Although Dr. DeBakey did not practice at the Ochsner Clinic, his groundbreaking contributions to the field were undoubtedly influenced by his medical education under Dr. Alton Ochsner.

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In 1961, Dr. John Ochsner, after training under his father’s protégé in Houston, returned to the Ochsner Clinic and established a formal cardiovascular service. During this time, many notable vascular procedures were performed, specifically in the field of arterial surgery. These include an iliac-mesenteric-atrial shunt on a Bud-Chiari patient and an immediate repair of penetrating wounds of the thoracic aorta due to a gunshot. Additionally, his work expanded the use of homograft vessels, and along with Dr. DeBakey and other prominent figures in vascular surgery, started the Journal of Vascular Surgery in 1984.