Research Legacies

 

Lester R. Sauvage, MD
 Founder & Medical Director Emeritus

altLester R. Sauvage, MD was a young cardiovascular surgeon in 1959 when he founded the Hope Heart Institute, a cardiovascular research facility. He began his practices at Providence Seattle Medical Center and Children's Medical Center in Seattle just a few months before opening the doors of The Hope. His efforts were balanced between his clinical research and his work as a surgeon.

 

During his long cardiovascular surgical career, Dr. Sauvage distinguished himself in ways too rarely seen in medical professionals. He appealed to the most human aspects of healing - caring for the "whole person," not just his patients' symptoms. He valued and respected each individual's spiritual needs and recognized the important role a "healthy soul" can play in healing the heart.

 

His reputation for extraordinary acts of kindness towards his patients is legendary: He was known to check in on his patients in the wee hours of the morning, or to meet a terrified patient at the airport before open-heart surgery. Still known informally among hospital employees as "Saint Sauvage," he clearly has made an unusual impact on his colleagues as well. He encourages us all to focus on the things that bring meaning to our lives.



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Dr. Sauvage's research at the Hope Heart Institute beautifully complemented his surgical career. Drawing in talented researchers who share his mission to serve humanity through this important work, Dr. Sauvage's research teams at The Hope have conducted groundbreaking cardiovascular research. Research achievements include the first successful experimental coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery - the most frequently performed heart surgery today - and design of improved artificial arteries and heart valves.

 

Thousands of surgeries and more than two decades later, The Hope continues to conduct pioneering cardiovascular research. Dr. Sauvage retired from surgery in 1991, but as Medical Director Emeritus of The Hope, he has hardly retired from his mission of service. Today, he spreads heart-healthy messages to people worldwide through his three books:

 

Dr. Sauvage's CV

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Olav M. Sola, MD
 September 19, 1919 - April 17, 2007

altThe Hope Heart Institute's Department of Cardioneurology was established in 1989 when Founder Lester R. Sauvage, MD invited Olav M. Sola, MD to further his cardiomyoplasty research at The Hope.

Beginning in 1946, Dr. Sola worked with Dr. Art Martin to develop the idea of stretch hypertrophy in muscles. His research focused on the latissimus dorsi muscle located in the back and shoulder. They explored the possibility of modifying and transplanting it to strengthen an ailing heart muscle.

From this initial research, an interesting line of investigation evolved. Dr. Sola found that when modified, a copper iodide technique used for staining motor end plates of the thoracodorsal nerve in the latissimus dorsi muscle could also effectively stain acetycholinesterase (AChE). (This enzyme is released by nerves causing muscles - including the heart muscle - to contract.) Also, this technique is also used to stain the nerves of the endocardium and epicardium, the inner and outer layers of healthy or diseased hearts.

This discovery and groundbreaking work allows Dr. Sola to investigate heart muscle nerve activity on a macromolecular level as well as to further define heart anatomy - particularly the nerve structure.

Major projects

  • Improving the copper iodide staining technique showing AChE activity of the cardiac nerves.
  • Defining the neurological and structural makeup of the left and right ventricle epicardium and endocardium of the heart.
  • AChE staining of the autonomic nervous system - the source of all cardiac nerves (sympathetic and parasympathetic (vagus).

Read Dr. Sola's papers:

 

 

 

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