The distinguished service award for the Society for Vascular Surgery, 2000: D. Emerick Szilagyi, MD

Abstract

Dr Szilagyi has been a giant in vascular surgery for more than a half century. He was born in 1910 in Nagykaroly, Hungary, and completed a classic undergraduate education in Europe, where he attended Calvinist College in Klausenburg and the University of Debrecen, both in Hungary. This was followed by studies at the Sorbonne in Paris. In spring of 1931, Dr Szilagyi and his brother immigrated to Detroit to join their mother. In the fall of 1931, he entered the University of Michigan Medical School, from where he graduated cum laude in 1935. Between 1935 and 1937, Dr Szilagyi was a surgical intern at the University of Michigan, which was a 2-year rotating internship. At the conclusion of these 2 years, he became a teaching assistant in the Department of Pathology, where he worked for Dr Carl Weller in anatomic pathology. In 1939, he became an assistant resident in surgery at Henry Ford Hospital in a program headed by Dr Roy D. McClure, one of Dr Halsted's famous “chosen 17.” Between 1942 and 1945, Dr Szilagyi worked as Medical Director for the Ford Rubber Plantation in the Amazon Valley of Brazil. During his 2½-year tour of duty, Dr Szilagyi performed a wide variety of surgical procedures; he stated that he operated on all organs, except the brain and heart. In 1945, he returned to Detroit, where he spent 1 year as anassistant surgeon and 1 year as a chief surgical resident. He then served as chief of one of the two surgical divisions of the Department of General Surgery until 1966, when he became chairman of the Department of Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital. He was active in surgical practice until 1984, when he decided to devote all his energies to his work as an editor for theJournal of Vascular Surgery Among Dr Szilagyi's achievements was the early use of the aortic homograft replacement for abdominal aortic aneurysm. He also established one of the first registries for vascular surgery patients. The medial approach to the popliteal artery was also one of his innovations. Of the more than 180 articles published, there are three that are his most important. The first one, published in 1957 in the Archives of Surgery , states that there were high rates of long-term failures with homografts, and this technique should not be continued. The second, published in 1966 in the Annals of Surgery, outlines the contributions of abdominal aortic aneurysm resections to the prolongation of life. This article has been officially recognized as a citation classic and is one of the most commonly referenced articles in vascular surgery. His 1973 paper, published in the Annals of Surgery , on the long-term results of lower extremity vein bypasses is a landmark in terms of demonstrating the technique for careful and long-term follow-up of lower extremity reconstruction. This paper has served as a guide to succeeding generations of vascular surgeons, by demonstrating the importance of meticulous long-term follow-up and analysis of any surgical reconstructive procedure. Dr Szilagyi's accomplishments have been recognized by serving as president of various surgical organizations. These organizations include the Central Surgical Association; the Western Surgical Association; the Midwestern Vascular Surgery Society; the American Association for Vascular Surgery, a Chapter of the International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery; and the Society for Vascular Surgery. Dr Szilagyi's most enduring contribution, in my estimation, is the work he did as the first editor of the Journal of Vascular Surgery. The rigorousness with which he evaluated the manuscripts and the care he gave to his editorial work were significant factors in the Journal of Vascular Surgery becoming one of the preeminent surgical journals and the best vascular surgery journal in the world today. Many of us will recall getting these almost encyclopedic letters from Dr Szilagyi requesting clarification and changes to our manuscripts. When all was said and done, these papers were significantly improved by making the changes required by Dr Szilagyi. His ability to critically look at surgical results is without compare. For his half century–long contributions to vascular surgery and in particular, the Society for Vascular Surgery, I am proud to present Dr D. Emerick Szilagyi the Society for Vascular Surgery Distinguished Service Award.