(Hershey) -- Modern heart-assist pumps provide life-saving options for patients dealing with severe heart problems. A midstate surgeon and engineer pioneered the first pneumatic heart assist pump and has worked for decades on improving its design. Dr. William Pierce is a professor emeritus of surgery at Penn State University College of Medicine in Hershey. As part of witf's Beyond the Bio series, Morning Edition Host Craig Layne talked with Dr. Pierce about the heart assist pump and where he got the idea.
Watch a video of Dr. William S. Pierce explaining the heart-assist pump below.
