Peer Portner
Encyclopedia
Peer Michael Portner was a heart researcher whose work led to the development of the ventricular assist device
, an electrical pump that permits patients in heart failure to survive until a heart transplant could be performed.
Portner was born on January 8, 1940 in Mombasa
, Kenya
. In 1968, he was awarded doctorate in experimental nuclear physics from McGill University
in Montreal
, which was followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in nuclear physics at the University of Oxford
.
Portner was hired as a senior physicist at Andros Inc., a research and development firm headquartered in Berkeley, California
, that was taken over by Novacor in the 1980s. During the 1970s, first became involved in biomedical engineering while experimenting on a device that attached to the left ventricle
s of the hearts of laboratory cows in order to restore the heart's pumping ability while obviating the need to remove the heart's chambers.
By 1984, this had evolved into the left ventricular assist device
(LVAD), which consisted of an electrical pump and bladder that was placed into the chest of the patient, connected by wires to a battery outside the patient's body. The LVAD replaced earlier devices that had run on compressed air, requiring a larger opening in the thoracic cavity
that was more prone to infection. The first recipient, 51-year-old Robert St. Laurent, remained on the pump for eight days before his damaged heart was replaced in a transplant operation, and lived for 20 years in stable health before his death in 2004. St. Laurent had had a heart attack
and what turned out to be unsuccessful coronary artery bypass surgery
, leading to the successful implantation of the LVAD for the first time in a human. The heart St. Laurent received came from an 18-year-old college student who had been brain dead following a car accident.
He established the Novacor Medical Corporation in the 1980s to construct and distribute the device, serving as its president and chief executive before the company was acquired by Baxter Healthcare Corporation
in 1988. After the takeover, Portner served as chairman of Baxter's Novacor division, where he continued to improve the device, making it easier to transport and allowing patients to wash, walk and be outside the hospital for significant periods of time. By the time of Portner's death, an estimated 1,800 Novacor devices had been implanted to allow for a transition to transplants and in other cases, with devices kept in patients for up to six years. Available since 1993, the wearable version lets patients return to a largely normal lifestyle outside of the hospital.
By 1987, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted permission to use Novacor pumps on a case-by-case basis, with doctors at Presbyterian-University Hospital in Pittsburgh indicating that they would use the Novacor pump in lieu of Jarvik hearts until a human donor heart can be found.
Though the Novacor pump was ultimately not needed, Portner was on hand while President of Russia Boris Yeltsin
was undergoing cardiac bypass surgery in 1996, ready to assist in case of emergency.
Portner served as president of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs
. O. H. Frazier
, director of cardiovascular surgery research at The Texas Heart Institute
in Houston and developer of Thoratec's HeartMate pump, stated that "Peer Portner was an original investigator of a lifesaving technology who contributed to the literature and first generation of these devices."
In 2008, Portner was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
and inducted into their College of Fellows.
Portner died at age 69 on February 9, 2009 at his home in Kensington, California
due to cancer
. He was survived by his wife, two daughters; and three grandchildren.
Ventricular assist device
A Ventricular assist device, or VAD, is a mechanical circulatory device that is used to partially or completely replace the function of a failing heart...
, an electrical pump that permits patients in heart failure to survive until a heart transplant could be performed.
Portner was born on January 8, 1940 in Mombasa
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. In 1968, he was awarded doctorate in experimental nuclear physics from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, which was followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in nuclear physics at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Portner was hired as a senior physicist at Andros Inc., a research and development firm headquartered in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, that was taken over by Novacor in the 1980s. During the 1970s, first became involved in biomedical engineering while experimenting on a device that attached to the left ventricle
Left ventricle
The left ventricle is one of four chambers in the human heart. It receives oxygenated blood from the left atrium via the mitral valve, and pumps it into the aorta via the aortic valve.-Shape:...
s of the hearts of laboratory cows in order to restore the heart's pumping ability while obviating the need to remove the heart's chambers.
By 1984, this had evolved into the left ventricular assist device
Ventricular assist device
A Ventricular assist device, or VAD, is a mechanical circulatory device that is used to partially or completely replace the function of a failing heart...
(LVAD), which consisted of an electrical pump and bladder that was placed into the chest of the patient, connected by wires to a battery outside the patient's body. The LVAD replaced earlier devices that had run on compressed air, requiring a larger opening in the thoracic cavity
Thoracic cavity
The thoracic cavity is the chamber of the human body that is protected by the thoracic wall ....
that was more prone to infection. The first recipient, 51-year-old Robert St. Laurent, remained on the pump for eight days before his damaged heart was replaced in a transplant operation, and lived for 20 years in stable health before his death in 2004. St. Laurent had had a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
and what turned out to be unsuccessful coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease...
, leading to the successful implantation of the LVAD for the first time in a human. The heart St. Laurent received came from an 18-year-old college student who had been brain dead following a car accident.
He established the Novacor Medical Corporation in the 1980s to construct and distribute the device, serving as its president and chief executive before the company was acquired by Baxter Healthcare Corporation
Baxter International
Baxter International Inc. , is an American health care company with headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois. The company primarily focuses on products to treat hemophilia, kidney disease, immune disorders and other chronic and acute medical conditions...
in 1988. After the takeover, Portner served as chairman of Baxter's Novacor division, where he continued to improve the device, making it easier to transport and allowing patients to wash, walk and be outside the hospital for significant periods of time. By the time of Portner's death, an estimated 1,800 Novacor devices had been implanted to allow for a transition to transplants and in other cases, with devices kept in patients for up to six years. Available since 1993, the wearable version lets patients return to a largely normal lifestyle outside of the hospital.
By 1987, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted permission to use Novacor pumps on a case-by-case basis, with doctors at Presbyterian-University Hospital in Pittsburgh indicating that they would use the Novacor pump in lieu of Jarvik hearts until a human donor heart can be found.
Though the Novacor pump was ultimately not needed, Portner was on hand while President of Russia Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
was undergoing cardiac bypass surgery in 1996, ready to assist in case of emergency.
Portner served as president of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs
American Society for Artificial Internal Organs
American Society for Artificial Internal Organs is an organization of individuals and groups that are interested in artificial internal organs and their development....
. O. H. Frazier
O. H. Frazier
O. Howard "Bud" Frazier is a distinguished heart surgeon. He is the Director of the Cardiovascular Surgical Research program and the Chief of Cardiopulmonary Transplantation at the Texas Heart Institute . He is also the Chief of Transplant Services at St...
, director of cardiovascular surgery research at The Texas Heart Institute
The Texas Heart Institute
The Texas Heart Institute is a not-for-profit cardiology and heart surgery center located within the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1962 by Dr. Denton A. Cooley, its original charter stated its purpose was “the study and treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels...
in Houston and developer of Thoratec's HeartMate pump, stated that "Peer Portner was an original investigator of a lifesaving technology who contributed to the literature and first generation of these devices."
In 2008, Portner was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology is a Roman Catholic college, seminary, and graduate school in Berkeley, California. It is located at 2301 Vine Street in Berkeley....
and inducted into their College of Fellows.
Portner died at age 69 on February 9, 2009 at his home in Kensington, California
Kensington, California
Kensington is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area, in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 5,077 at the 2010 census.- Law and government :Kensington is an unincorporated area of Contra...
due to cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. He was survived by his wife, two daughters; and three grandchildren.