The Serendipitous Life of Edward Diethrich
Chapter 35 "Bordeaux Red Wine"
I was in Bordeaux, France, at a vascular surgical meeting in 1992. The enthusiasm for these new procedures was escalating, and many of my friends, from Europe and beyond, were present. At a small gathering on the last evening, a few of us were in the bar relaxing and reflecting on all that we had learned. As more wine was poured, the conversation was directed to another topic.
“Ted, there is a need for a new society that represents the exciting material presented here… an endovascular society.”
This was from Professor Takis Balas, a longtime friend. He is a famous Greek vascular surgeon and was the President of the European Society for Vascular Surgery in 1994. He was well known for his abilities to create societies. They were directing this comment to me, since I had become identified as a kind of leader of the band, the one that was playing endovascular music around the world. But the last thing in the world that I thought any of us needed was one more society. We were already saturated with societies of all kinds.
Suddenly, someone suggested that a new endovascular society could be the impetus for a new journal devoted to these evolving endovascular techniques. It did not take another glass of Bordeaux to whet my appetite for that suggestion. It was exactly what we needed: a peer-reviewed journal with an international editorial board that was capable of communicating our scientific mission to the surgical community, and perhaps beyond.
Before the evening was over, this self-appointed group had elected me as president of the International Society for Endovascular Surgery (ISES) and editor of its new journal, tentatively named the Journal of Endovascular Surgery. They also gave me the assignment of putting these organizations together legally and launching a membership drive. Fortunately for me, I had just the person to handle this.
Many years prior, when we had just moved to the new Arizona Heart Institute, I had been thinking of hiring a writer to work with me and Video Arts Studio on our many projects. One day, my administrative assistant, Bet Levander, caught me between cases. She said a young lady whom I should meet was in the AHI lobby. “She may have some of the skill sets that you have been looking for.”
As I descended the long stairway leading from the second level down to the main floor, my eyes connected to a very attractive young lady on the couch at the far end of the lobby. I introduced myself and she replied “Nice to meet you Doctor, I am Rebecca Bowman.” The interview far exceeded my allotted time, but I immediately knew I had a special talent in my presence. I asked to be excused to attend to a matter upstairs. There was no other matter. I wanted to see Bet and have her hire Rebecca on the spot. I did not even want her to leave the building without confidence that she was needed here and had a job. Bet as usual closed the deal, and I went back downstairs to welcome Rebecca to the AHI team.
That was 37 years ago. Rebecca made enormous contributions to our program and to the Society, but perhaps her 20-year leadership as executive editor of the Journal of Endovascular Therapy stands at the top of the list. In 2014, the JEVT became the highest ranked journal in the world devoted to peripheral vascular interventions. In all of these years and numerous projects, she has never failed me or her colleagues. Bet had found a jewel.
Sometimes bad things happen when a group of young vascular surgeons drink too much red wine. Thankfully, that night in Bordeaux when we founded the ISES was not one of those times. History will show that the decisions emanating from the bar that evening made a major impact on the future of vascular surgery around the world.
At the time, the emphasis on “surgeons” and “surgery” seemed obvious...that was who we were and what we did. However, as time passed, I became convinced the endovascular evolution was not going to be successful if it only emphasized surgeons. The field was much larger, compelled to have multiple disciplines involved—surgeons, radiologists, cardiologists, vascular medicine specialists and no doubt, many others. I do not want to make it seem that I was the Lone Ranger in espousing this philosophy, but among many of my vascular surgical colleagues, I indeed turned out to be a loner.
Because of my position as president of the ISES and co-editor of the Journal with Dr. Tom Fogarty, the famous inventor, I made an executive decision. I guess today it would be parallel to President Obama’s “I have a phone, I have a pen” comment. Indeed, I was definitely not that arrogant, but very determined. The name had to be changed to reflect the future direction.
Thus, in 2000, the Journal of Endovascular Surgery became the Journal of Endovascular Therapy (JEVT) and the International Society for Endovascular Surgery became the International Society of Endovascular Specialists (ISES). Photo 79
Was this move well received? No!
“You sold us out!” shouted the surgeons. “You’re no better than Benedict Arnold!”
Indeed, it took some rehabilitation on my part to bring the folks around, but there was no doubt in my mind about the wisdom of these decisions. The current success of the JEVT alone attests to that conclusion.
As the endovascular society was growing and gaining membership, the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) board initiated some reorganization under the initiative of Dr. Robert Hobson, including one that directly affected ISES. SVS changed its membership rules, permitting more surgeons to join with broader potential to participate in the society’s activities. Even more importantly, ISES was invited to have an active member on the SVS board with all the rights of the other board members. As president of ISES, I was appointed to the SVS board. That may not appear to be a positive consequence, but in fact it was.
The SVS board was composed of mainly vascular surgeons, many representing university programs. I was representing another society, one that was at least subliminally promoting the use of balloons, lasers, stents, and minimizing the function of the scalpel. I would sit around the large conference table and promote our point of view, but the other members were not very interested in what I would say.
As I’ve said, I was a loner, but I could gradually see a slight shift in the pendulum. This was really apparent when a professor of vascular surgery from one of the major East Coast universities approached me during a coffee break and asked if it would be possible to send one of his residents to train with me. I knew then there was at least a small crack in the iceberg.
Other presidents of ISES were also subsequently appointed to the SVS board. Dr. Rodney White, Professor/Chief of Vascular Surgery at UCLA, one of the pioneers of the laser field, served a 3-year term. At present, one of my first vascular fellows, Dr. Ali AbuRahma, Professor and Chief of Vascular Surgery at West Virginia University, serves on behalf of the ISES.
In 2013, I had an invitation from Dr. James Yao to participate in a video production by SVS in regards to my endovascular work. In the video, a dozen or so surgeons were interviewed by colleagues like Dr. Roger Gregory, Dr. James Yao, and others to document much of the history of vascular surgery. Jimmy was very kind in providing a copy of the interview, and I used some of the content in this book “S.L.E.D.,” which in itself is a history of the endovascular evolution.
At the end of the interview, Jimmy let the cat out of the bag: he told me I was being awarded the Medal for Innovation in Vascular Surgery at the annual SVS meeting in San Francisco.
I never expected a special award for what I did; that was simply how I had always operated. However, I must confess that during President Peter Gloviczki’s presentation, where I was awarded the Medal for Innovation in Vascular Surgery in front of the surgical society, I did not have dry eyes.
“Introduction of Edward B. Diethrich, MD, 2013 Recipient of the Medal for Innovation in Vascular Surgery” by Peter Gloviczki, MD, President, Society for Vascular Surgery, presented at the 2013 Vascular Annual Meeting of the Society for Vascular Surgery, San Francisco, California, May 30-June 3, 2013.”
“The SVS Medal for Innovation in Vascular Surgery was established in 2006 and since then it has been awarded to four distinguished, extremely talented pioneer vascular surgeons. This award is given to an individual or individuals whose contribution to vascular surgery has had a transforming impact on the practice or science of vascular surgery. This year I have the privilege of introducing the fifth recipient of this prestigious award.”
“He has had a distinguished career as an extraordinary vascular and cardiothoracic surgeon, leader, and innovator. The list of innovations attributed to him is long, starting in 1962 with invention of the sternal saw for opening the chest and continuing with his legacy of establishing and directing an internationally known Heart Foundation and Heart Institute.”
“He has been a pioneer; a mover and shaker in the endovascular revolution, and his contribution to surgical education has been legendary. He organized the first live telecast of open-heart surgery to an international audience. His annual endovascular meetings have attracted physicians from all corners of the world. The educational value of his presentations has been unique. The large number of live telecasts he includes in these meetings has contributed to better and faster training of hundreds of vascular specialists worldwide.”
“He developed one of the first ultrasound companies and contributed to the development of a preservation chamber for heart transplantation. His role in introducing one of the endovascular aortic grafts in the US has been essential, and he is a founder and medical director of this device company. Over the past 10 years alone, he was involved in founding three organizations dedicated to advancing the practice of vascular surgery. One develops and manufactures endoluminal grafts; the other is a Translational Research Center, dedicated to preclinical and clinical research in new and developing technologies. And more recently he started a corporation devoted to the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease, with an emphasis on non-traditional medicine. He is founder, Past President, and Chairman of the Board of the International Society of Endovascular Specialists.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, for his many contributions to innovation in endovascular surgery and for improving the education of generations of vascular surgeons and endovascular specialists, it is a distinct honor and privilege to present the 2013 SVS Medal of Innovation in Vascular Surgery to the Medical Director of the Arizona Heart Foundation and the Founder of the Arizona Heart Institute, Dr. Edward B. Diethrich.”
The entire audience stood and applauded as the President presented me the award; it was a special moment in time. “Thank you, Dr. Gloviczki, for those kind words,” I said as I accepted the award.
“Thank you, Peter, and thank you society members. I feel humbled by this award because as I look out into the audience, I can see many friends who have helped me and contributed greatly to whatever success I have had. We just heard a wonderful lecture about the innovation and advancement of technology over the past years. I was indeed involved in that evolution. I started 7 or 8 companies involved in various innovative approaches to diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. But I think the award you have presented to me today, which I very much appreciate, is not an award for me personally but rather an award for all of us who over the years have been working toward moving in a different direction. For a number of years, I was on the Board of the Vascular Society and I had to sit in the corner because people didn’t like me very much. They would say, ‘Who is that crazy Ted Diethrich who is out there trying to teach us something about endovascular?’ Well fortunately, that all changed, and I believe the wonderful thing in accepting this award is that I am really accepting it for all of us vascular surgeons, all of you and the society as a whole, because together we have moved forward in a very progressive way.”
“We have together taken the new challenges of surgical transition into less invasive endovascular approaches for the future. I believe that is our future. I thank the society and the nominating committee.”
All I could think about was the ride I had been on since I was the first ISES representative on the SVS Board for 3 years. It was a time when very few members would talk to me, believing that I was trying to sabotage vascular surgery. But there I was, at the annual meeting of SVS, where at least my colleagues appreciated my small contribution.
“Ted, there is a need for a new society that represents the exciting material presented here… an endovascular society.”
This was from Professor Takis Balas, a longtime friend. He is a famous Greek vascular surgeon and was the President of the European Society for Vascular Surgery in 1994. He was well known for his abilities to create societies. They were directing this comment to me, since I had become identified as a kind of leader of the band, the one that was playing endovascular music around the world. But the last thing in the world that I thought any of us needed was one more society. We were already saturated with societies of all kinds.
Suddenly, someone suggested that a new endovascular society could be the impetus for a new journal devoted to these evolving endovascular techniques. It did not take another glass of Bordeaux to whet my appetite for that suggestion. It was exactly what we needed: a peer-reviewed journal with an international editorial board that was capable of communicating our scientific mission to the surgical community, and perhaps beyond.
Before the evening was over, this self-appointed group had elected me as president of the International Society for Endovascular Surgery (ISES) and editor of its new journal, tentatively named the Journal of Endovascular Surgery. They also gave me the assignment of putting these organizations together legally and launching a membership drive. Fortunately for me, I had just the person to handle this.
Many years prior, when we had just moved to the new Arizona Heart Institute, I had been thinking of hiring a writer to work with me and Video Arts Studio on our many projects. One day, my administrative assistant, Bet Levander, caught me between cases. She said a young lady whom I should meet was in the AHI lobby. “She may have some of the skill sets that you have been looking for.”
As I descended the long stairway leading from the second level down to the main floor, my eyes connected to a very attractive young lady on the couch at the far end of the lobby. I introduced myself and she replied “Nice to meet you Doctor, I am Rebecca Bowman.” The interview far exceeded my allotted time, but I immediately knew I had a special talent in my presence. I asked to be excused to attend to a matter upstairs. There was no other matter. I wanted to see Bet and have her hire Rebecca on the spot. I did not even want her to leave the building without confidence that she was needed here and had a job. Bet as usual closed the deal, and I went back downstairs to welcome Rebecca to the AHI team.
That was 37 years ago. Rebecca made enormous contributions to our program and to the Society, but perhaps her 20-year leadership as executive editor of the Journal of Endovascular Therapy stands at the top of the list. In 2014, the JEVT became the highest ranked journal in the world devoted to peripheral vascular interventions. In all of these years and numerous projects, she has never failed me or her colleagues. Bet had found a jewel.
Sometimes bad things happen when a group of young vascular surgeons drink too much red wine. Thankfully, that night in Bordeaux when we founded the ISES was not one of those times. History will show that the decisions emanating from the bar that evening made a major impact on the future of vascular surgery around the world.
At the time, the emphasis on “surgeons” and “surgery” seemed obvious...that was who we were and what we did. However, as time passed, I became convinced the endovascular evolution was not going to be successful if it only emphasized surgeons. The field was much larger, compelled to have multiple disciplines involved—surgeons, radiologists, cardiologists, vascular medicine specialists and no doubt, many others. I do not want to make it seem that I was the Lone Ranger in espousing this philosophy, but among many of my vascular surgical colleagues, I indeed turned out to be a loner.
Because of my position as president of the ISES and co-editor of the Journal with Dr. Tom Fogarty, the famous inventor, I made an executive decision. I guess today it would be parallel to President Obama’s “I have a phone, I have a pen” comment. Indeed, I was definitely not that arrogant, but very determined. The name had to be changed to reflect the future direction.
Thus, in 2000, the Journal of Endovascular Surgery became the Journal of Endovascular Therapy (JEVT) and the International Society for Endovascular Surgery became the International Society of Endovascular Specialists (ISES). Photo 79
Was this move well received? No!
“You sold us out!” shouted the surgeons. “You’re no better than Benedict Arnold!”
Indeed, it took some rehabilitation on my part to bring the folks around, but there was no doubt in my mind about the wisdom of these decisions. The current success of the JEVT alone attests to that conclusion.
As the endovascular society was growing and gaining membership, the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) board initiated some reorganization under the initiative of Dr. Robert Hobson, including one that directly affected ISES. SVS changed its membership rules, permitting more surgeons to join with broader potential to participate in the society’s activities. Even more importantly, ISES was invited to have an active member on the SVS board with all the rights of the other board members. As president of ISES, I was appointed to the SVS board. That may not appear to be a positive consequence, but in fact it was.
The SVS board was composed of mainly vascular surgeons, many representing university programs. I was representing another society, one that was at least subliminally promoting the use of balloons, lasers, stents, and minimizing the function of the scalpel. I would sit around the large conference table and promote our point of view, but the other members were not very interested in what I would say.
As I’ve said, I was a loner, but I could gradually see a slight shift in the pendulum. This was really apparent when a professor of vascular surgery from one of the major East Coast universities approached me during a coffee break and asked if it would be possible to send one of his residents to train with me. I knew then there was at least a small crack in the iceberg.
Other presidents of ISES were also subsequently appointed to the SVS board. Dr. Rodney White, Professor/Chief of Vascular Surgery at UCLA, one of the pioneers of the laser field, served a 3-year term. At present, one of my first vascular fellows, Dr. Ali AbuRahma, Professor and Chief of Vascular Surgery at West Virginia University, serves on behalf of the ISES.
In 2013, I had an invitation from Dr. James Yao to participate in a video production by SVS in regards to my endovascular work. In the video, a dozen or so surgeons were interviewed by colleagues like Dr. Roger Gregory, Dr. James Yao, and others to document much of the history of vascular surgery. Jimmy was very kind in providing a copy of the interview, and I used some of the content in this book “S.L.E.D.,” which in itself is a history of the endovascular evolution.
At the end of the interview, Jimmy let the cat out of the bag: he told me I was being awarded the Medal for Innovation in Vascular Surgery at the annual SVS meeting in San Francisco.
I never expected a special award for what I did; that was simply how I had always operated. However, I must confess that during President Peter Gloviczki’s presentation, where I was awarded the Medal for Innovation in Vascular Surgery in front of the surgical society, I did not have dry eyes.
“Introduction of Edward B. Diethrich, MD, 2013 Recipient of the Medal for Innovation in Vascular Surgery” by Peter Gloviczki, MD, President, Society for Vascular Surgery, presented at the 2013 Vascular Annual Meeting of the Society for Vascular Surgery, San Francisco, California, May 30-June 3, 2013.”
“The SVS Medal for Innovation in Vascular Surgery was established in 2006 and since then it has been awarded to four distinguished, extremely talented pioneer vascular surgeons. This award is given to an individual or individuals whose contribution to vascular surgery has had a transforming impact on the practice or science of vascular surgery. This year I have the privilege of introducing the fifth recipient of this prestigious award.”
“He has had a distinguished career as an extraordinary vascular and cardiothoracic surgeon, leader, and innovator. The list of innovations attributed to him is long, starting in 1962 with invention of the sternal saw for opening the chest and continuing with his legacy of establishing and directing an internationally known Heart Foundation and Heart Institute.”
“He has been a pioneer; a mover and shaker in the endovascular revolution, and his contribution to surgical education has been legendary. He organized the first live telecast of open-heart surgery to an international audience. His annual endovascular meetings have attracted physicians from all corners of the world. The educational value of his presentations has been unique. The large number of live telecasts he includes in these meetings has contributed to better and faster training of hundreds of vascular specialists worldwide.”
“He developed one of the first ultrasound companies and contributed to the development of a preservation chamber for heart transplantation. His role in introducing one of the endovascular aortic grafts in the US has been essential, and he is a founder and medical director of this device company. Over the past 10 years alone, he was involved in founding three organizations dedicated to advancing the practice of vascular surgery. One develops and manufactures endoluminal grafts; the other is a Translational Research Center, dedicated to preclinical and clinical research in new and developing technologies. And more recently he started a corporation devoted to the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease, with an emphasis on non-traditional medicine. He is founder, Past President, and Chairman of the Board of the International Society of Endovascular Specialists.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, for his many contributions to innovation in endovascular surgery and for improving the education of generations of vascular surgeons and endovascular specialists, it is a distinct honor and privilege to present the 2013 SVS Medal of Innovation in Vascular Surgery to the Medical Director of the Arizona Heart Foundation and the Founder of the Arizona Heart Institute, Dr. Edward B. Diethrich.”
The entire audience stood and applauded as the President presented me the award; it was a special moment in time. “Thank you, Dr. Gloviczki, for those kind words,” I said as I accepted the award.
“Thank you, Peter, and thank you society members. I feel humbled by this award because as I look out into the audience, I can see many friends who have helped me and contributed greatly to whatever success I have had. We just heard a wonderful lecture about the innovation and advancement of technology over the past years. I was indeed involved in that evolution. I started 7 or 8 companies involved in various innovative approaches to diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. But I think the award you have presented to me today, which I very much appreciate, is not an award for me personally but rather an award for all of us who over the years have been working toward moving in a different direction. For a number of years, I was on the Board of the Vascular Society and I had to sit in the corner because people didn’t like me very much. They would say, ‘Who is that crazy Ted Diethrich who is out there trying to teach us something about endovascular?’ Well fortunately, that all changed, and I believe the wonderful thing in accepting this award is that I am really accepting it for all of us vascular surgeons, all of you and the society as a whole, because together we have moved forward in a very progressive way.”
“We have together taken the new challenges of surgical transition into less invasive endovascular approaches for the future. I believe that is our future. I thank the society and the nominating committee.”
All I could think about was the ride I had been on since I was the first ISES representative on the SVS Board for 3 years. It was a time when very few members would talk to me, believing that I was trying to sabotage vascular surgery. But there I was, at the annual meeting of SVS, where at least my colleagues appreciated my small contribution.