On October 19, 2001, the Department of Cardiology mourned the passing and celebrated the life of Reverend Charles B. Moore, MD. As I reminisce about Charles' accomplishments and contributions, my heart is filled with both sorrow and gladness. The feeling of sorrow is because the Department of Cardiology has lost a great friend, a superb clinician and a visionary. Gladness, because I have the opportunity to write about a great man, who has been a mentor and a role model to many of us.
The importance of knowing history in order to understand the present and perhaps to predict the future has been well summarized by the wit of Winston Churchill: “The longer you look back, the farther you can look forward.” Our achievements at the Cardiology Department at Ochsner Clinic Foundation are certainly rooted in our past. Dr. Charles B. Moore, a member of the Cardiology Department for several decades, best represents our recent past and illustrates our present. What follows is a brief summary of his professional life.
Charles Moore was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 30, 1926. He attended high school in Gulfport, Mississippi, at the Gulf Coast Military Academy and served as an enlisted man in the Pacific theatre during World War II. He attended the University of Tennessee followed by the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis graduating with a medical degree in 1952. After completing his internship at the US Naval Hospital, Bethesda, MD, Dr. Moore finished 3 years (1954–1957) of residency and research at the Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation. His desire to bring innovative cardiology services to Louisiana converged with those of the Ochsner Foundation. In 1957, he moved to Boston and completed a research fellowship in cardiology in the prestigious Peter Bent Brigham hospital, under the supervision of Dr. L. Dexter.
After 2 exciting years, Dr. Moore returned to Ochsner in 1959, bringing the first cardioversion equipment to Louisiana, and was placed in charge of the Cardiovascular Laboratories. Besides his clinical duties, Dr. Moore continued to do research and published many manuscripts in prestigious journals. In 1962, he worked with Dr. Mason Sones at the Cleveland Clinic and brought back to Ochsner the technique of coronary arteriography. But his contributions did not stop there. The development of coronary angiography opened the door for cardiovascular surgery, and Dr. Moore was the first to work in the operating room running the cardiopulmonary bypass pump. He was the head of the Department for many years and served as a Senior Consultant until his death.
Dr. Moore conducted much original research and contributed extensively to the literature in cardiology. One of his finest research achievements was his work with the Coronary Drug Project, sponsored by the National Heart Institute. His research and clinical skills, and his profound humanism were an integral part of the development of cardiovascular services at Ochsner.
But perhaps his greatest achievement was his work in educating future cardiologists. He trained many young doctors and encouraged them to conduct original research and to write and publish. He was so well admired and loved that a cardiology society, the Charles B. Moore Society of Cardiology, was named after him.
Because of his accomplishments, last year the Department of Cardiology instituted the “Charles B. Moore Cardiology Research Award.” This award will be given annually for the best research project performed by a cardiovascular fellow during his training.
Dr. Moore's service did not end it in treating patients. He was very concerned about ethical issues in medicine and was the founder of a course in medical ethics at Tulane University and one of the founders of Ethics Committee at Ochsner Medical Institutions. He also was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood at the Saint Augustine Episcopal Church in Metairie in 1974 and served as a supply priest in the Diocese of Louisiana.
Personal Reflection
As I reflect about Dr. Moore's contributions to the community, to his patients, and to his colleagues, I am reminded of his attitude and his commitment to happiness in his private and professional life. Charles loved life; he always smiled and worked with passion to serve the many people that asked for help and insight. During the eulogy at Charles' funeral, Dr. Christopher White, Chairman of the Department of Cardiology, summarized best his life's achievements: “He wanted to serve, serve patients, communities and colleagues…” Perhaps Charles' granddaughter expressed best his love for others: “Every time I told my grandfather about things in my life, he responded: ‘Wonderful.’”
That is the Charles that we will remember. His legacy will live forever. He had a passion for life, he was a true friend and colleague, and he was a pioneer and superb cardiologist. We will miss you.
by Hector O. Ventura, MD Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Department of Cardiology, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA
Landmark Study Offers New Hope to Heart Failure Patients
Ochsner Clinic Foundation was among the first in the nation to evaluate a mechanical heart assist device as a permanent therapy for end-stage heart failure patients as part of a groundbreaking Randomized Evaluation of Mechanical Assistance for the Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure (REMATCH) trial. The results, published in an early November 12, 2001 website edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that the device resulted in statistically and clinically significant improved rates of survival and quality of life for end-stage heart failure patients ineligible for heart transplants.
The REMATCH trial was a collaborative effort sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, Columbia University, and Thoratec Corporation. Conducted at 22 sites nationwide, with 129 patients, this trial is the largest of its kind to compare the use of Thoratec's HeartMate® VE implantable left ventricular assist system (LVAS) to a regimen of medical and diet management and exercise.
Study outcomes showed that 1-year survival for those with the HeartMate® was nearly double (52% versus 25%) that of patients treated with conventional therapy. This represents a 36% reduction in mortality—up to four times the current survival rate. REMATCH also reported significant increases in quality of life at 1 year. The longest living HeartMate patient is still alive after more than 1000 days of support.
While this is compelling data in and of itself, the 1-year survivability rate for patients younger than 60 years was even more dramatic: 74% versus 33%. This 74% compares favorably with the 80% 1-year survival rate for heart transplant patients, suggesting that with continuous technology improvements and implantation techniques, LVAS survival rates may someday equal transplant survival rates in certain patients.
Ochsner Clinic Foundation was chosen to participate in REMATCH because of our record as a pioneer in the clinical use of left ventricular assist devices. The goals of the trial were to evaluate survival rates, quality of life, and cost effectiveness of heart assist devices as a permanent treatment therapy for end-stage heart failure patients ineligible for heart transplantation.
For more information on the REMATCH trial, HeartMate heart assist device, or the cardiac programs at Ochsner Clinic Foundation, you can visit a number of websites including:
Or call The Ochsner Heart Failure Clinic at (504) 842-3925.