Dr. William S. Pierce
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Dr. William S. Pierce, professor emeritus of surgery at Pennsylvania State University, was a key figure in the development of the Heart-lung machine and various medical devices related to organ transplant and cardiovascular health. Dr. Pierce founded the Penn State organ donation program and was instrumental in conceiving of and developing the Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) and later the Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS). A Ventricular assist device is used in a procedure whereby the work of one or both ventricles of the heart is taken over by a Heart-lung machine so that the heart can be stilled. This is done either as a destination therapy or for Open-Heart Surgery, including as a bridge-to-transplant.
