Williams, David O. 1943–

PERSONAL:

Born 1943. Education: Trinity College, B.A., 1965; Hahnemann Medical College, M.D., 1969.

ADDRESSES:

Home— Providence, RI. Office— Rhode Island Cardiology Center, 2 Dudley St., Ste. 360, Providence, RI 02905. E-mail— dowilliams@lifespan.org.

CAREER:

Rhode Island Cardiology Center, Providence, RI, cardiologist.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Fellowship, University of California-Davis Medical Center.

WRITINGS:

(Medical editor) David Monaghan,Journey into the Heart: A Tale of Pioneering Doctors and Their Race to Transform Cardiovascular Medicine, Gotham Books (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Cardiologist David O. Williams served as medical editor for David Monagan's book,Journey into the Heart: A Tale of Pioneering Doctors and Their Race to Transform Cardiovascular Medicine. The book focuses on angioplasty, a minimally invasive procedure in which a catheter is inserted into the human heart to clear arteries that are obstructed by plaque (usually associated with high cholesterol). The procedure can be an alternative to open-heart surgery, and, by 2007, had become so popular that some two million angioplasties were performed each year. Williams and Monagan explain how the procedure was conceived and profile the major players in its development, particularly German physician Andreas Gruentzig, who performed the first coronary balloon angioplasty on a conscious human patient in 1977 and is considered the central figure in the procedure's advancement.

Catheterization of blood vessels began as a diagnostic technique. As Williams and Monagan show, Gruentzig's work was based on the research of several earlier doctors—including fellow German Werner Forssmann, who proved the safety of cardiac catheterization in 1929 by inserting a catheter into his own heart. American physician Mason Sones advanced angioplasty research in 1958 by demonstrating that a contrasting dye could be injected directly into a coronary artery, allowing doctors to view and photograph these blood vessels. In 1964, American radiologist Charles Dotter experimented with catheters of increasing thickness to clear blocked arteries in patients' legs—the first instance in which catheterization was used therapeutically. Inspired by Dotter's success, Gruentzig came up with the idea of attaching a balloon to the catheter, which allows the cardiologist to inflate the balloon to open the blocked blood vessel. This procedure, known as angioplasty, has good success rates and can eliminate the need for coronary bypass surgery.

A contributor to Kirkus Reviews found Journey into the Heart both engaging and informative, commenting that Williams and Monagan present technical information clearly and engagingly and enhance the drama of their subject by recounting the numerous "rivalries and machinations among the various manufacturers of the devices that made angioplasty possible." Dick Maxwell, reviewing the book in Library Journal, felt that it focused too closely on Gruentzig and slighted the contributions of other researchers; nevertheless, the critic concluded by describing Journey into the Heart as a "unique personal look" at one of angioplasty's pioneers.

A graduate of Hahnemann Medical College, Williams was one of the first cardiologists in the United States to perform an angioplasty; his first one was in 1978. He has developed the DEScover Registry, which "will record the outcomes of interventional procedures for 15,000 patients at over 200 cath labs," as he explained to an interviewer for Cath Lab Digest. Because the purpose of the registry is to allow cardiologists to learn more about when and how drug-eluting stents are used, it will include data on all patients who are given interventional procedures, including both stent recipients and those who do not receive them.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2007, Donna Chavez, review of Journey into the Heart: A Tale of Pioneering Doctors and Their Race to Transform Cardiovascular Medicine, p. 21.

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2006, review of Journey into the Heart, p. 1211.

Library Journal, December 1, 2006, Dick Maxwell, review of Journey into the Heart, p. 151.

New England Journal of Medicine, April 12, 2007, Hector O. Ventura, review of Journey into the Heart, p. 1595.

ONLINE

American College of Cardiology Web site,http://www.cardiosource.com/ (December 3, 2007), David O. Williams profile.

Cath Lab Digest,http://www.cathlabdigest.com/ (December 3, 2007), interview with David O. Williams.

Lifespan Web site,http://www.lifespan.org/ (December 3, 2007), David O. Williams profile.