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Don B. Olsen papers, 1839-2012

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Olsen, Don B. (Donald B.), 1930-2018
Title
Don B. Olsen papers
Dates
1839-2012 (inclusive)
Quantity
44.5 linear feet, (95 boxes)
Collection Number
ACCN 2676
Summary
The Don Olsen papers (1839-2012) contain materials regarding artificial organ projects and consist of professional and administrative materials, business files, subject files, and professional writings by Olsen. Olsen was a distinguished professor at the University of Utah and a medical researcher specializing in the artificial heart.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Dr. Olsen received a D.V.M. from Colorado State University, a B.S. in Animal Nutrition and Chemistry from Utah State University, and he attended the University of Nevada. A postdoctoral fellowship to the University of Colorado, Department of Pathology funded research on electron microscopic demonstrations of lung surfactant and its intracellular synthesis and secretion; and he served on collaborative research projects such as the study of the artificial heart valve in the calf, electrophysiology of the heart, and electrical pacemaker evaluation.

Seven years of general veterinary practice followed graduation, but Dr. Olsen's main interest was in basic and applied research. He studied diseases of cattle and sheep at the University of Nevada. As Principal Investigator of government and private grants he studied bovine fetal hemodynamics, blood flow, hypertension, and complete heart—block in sheep, receiving the Hancock Foundation Research Award for cardiovascular research to study the use of digitalis in sheep having induced heart failure, and Life Sciences Research Fund for preliminary investigation of acute bovine emphysema induced by terpene (a naturally occurring compound in forage plants).

Dr. Olsen lectures and conducts seminars internationally. In 1976 he had the opportunity to lecture for six weeks in medical schools and artificial heart research centers in Germany, Austria, France, and Italy. In 1977 he served a year on a Distinguished Scientist Award fellowship from the Von Humbolt Foundation in Munich and Berlin. He also lectured and presented demonstrations of implantation techniques in Czechoslovakia, Vienna, Austria, Brno, and Lyon, France. Several years later he implanted a record surviving calf (15 days) in Rostock, East Germany.

He joined the University of Utah as Assistant Director of the Division of Artificial Organs in 1972. Many changes occurred to lengthen the survival times of animals implanted with a total artificial heart, leading to world-record survival times. While heading the surgery team, Dr. Olsen modified the surgical implantation technique then used (midsternal split) to a lateral thoracotomy procedure to implant the newly modified Jarvik ventricles. Modified surgical techniques dramatically improved and simplified the early postoperative management of the animals. Survival increased to 3 months in 1974 (BURKE, calf), to later records set by TENNYSON, MAGIC, BIG AL (calves, 268 days), TERRY (calf, 272 days) and TED E. BEAR (sheep, 297 days).

In 1974 and 1975, Dr. Olsen developed an innovative technique, excising the heart and retaining the natural pulmonary artery and aortic valves, so the artificial heart required only two artificial valves. The first calf to retain its natural outflow valves was a world-recording holding animal (4 months in late 1975) using the JARVIK-5 ventricle, and the record holding sheep was TED E. BEAR (297 days). To date, other laboratories have not been as successful in using sheep in total artificial heart and left ventricular assist device experiments. The combination of excellent and innovative surgical techniques coupled with modified ventricular designs resulted in superior fit in the chest of the animal, larger stroke volumes, faster postoperative recovery times, and more durable artificial ventricles, leading to the vastly extended survival times.

These modified surgical techniques, along with subsequent training of clinical surgeons in implant techniques of the artificial heart, culminated in the implantation of the artificial heart in a human: Dr. Barney Clark. Dr. Olsen assisted Dr. William DeVries and Dr. Lyle Joyce in this momentous surgery in December 1982. Additionally, the majority of surgical teams in the world implanting the artificial heart were trained by Dr. Olsen and his research team at the Artificial Heart Research Laboratory.

In October 1979 a transplantation program was begun. Twin calves were used to study the feasibility of placing a natural heart into a calf after it had been implanted with an artificial heart for periods upwards of four months (immunosuppression problems are eliminated using the chimeric twin of the animal). FERNANDO survived for a year in good health after being transplanted with his chimeric twin's heart. After implantation with an artificial heart for 74 days, CHARLEY's (weight 220 pounds) artificial heart was removed and his twin sister DIANE's natural heart transplanted. CHARLEY outgrew the laboratory's farm facilities in 15 months and was placed as a dairy herd sire, fathering over 55 calves. Then he was slaughtered for beef 39 months after cardiac transplantation (weight 1,785 pounds).

Also, exercise regimens were implemented for the artificial heart animals using specially constructed treadmills, and some experiments were done without anticoagulants. Dr. Olsen also did specific investigation into coronary vein perfusion, the living A-V fistula, continuing to be particularly interested in the effect of the artificial heart upon the lungs.

In February 1986 the directorship of the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Department of Surgery, was transferred to Dr. Olsen when Willem J. Kolff retired February 14 (Dr. Kolff is known as the "Father of Artificial Organs," and had established the department two decades earlier at the University of Utah). Prior to this Dr. Olsen was Head of the Artificial Heart Research Laboratory, Division of Artificial Organs, Department of Surgery, and continues in this position.

He was instrumental in forming the Murex Foundation, a receiving company for private donations for the Institute; and through his efforts obtained donation to the Institute for Biomedical Engineering of the building complex where sizeable, off-campus laboratories are located; subsequently forming another receiving company, the MedForte Foundation, for transferrance of income from this complex to the Institute.

In 1988 Dr. Olsen was elected Program Chairman of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs for the following year, and has been on their Fellowship Review Committee since 1983. Editorial experience includes: Associate Editor, ASAIO Journal; Editorial Reviewer, Artificial Organs; and Editorial Reviewer, American Journal of Veterinary Research.

Dr. Olsen is married and the father of five children. He is an enthusiastic deer, elk, antelope and moose hunter in Utah, Oregon, Canada, and Alaska, enjoys cross—country skiing, fishing and hiking.

(This biography was taken from a biographical sketch created by Don B. Olsen.)

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Content Description

The Don Olsen papers (1839-2012) contain information regarding artificial organ projects and consist of professional and administrative materials, business files, subject files, and professional writings by Olsen. The collection has been divided into 5 sections.

The first section contains personal and administrative materials focusing on Olsen's professional career. Materials include patent applications, conference materials, grant and funding documentation, and biographical information.

The second section contains professional writings by Olsen and also writings he co-authored.

The third section consists of files Olsen collected on various individuals. These folders are arranged alphabetically by last name and contain correspondence, research articles, and other materials.

The fourth section consists of business files and other organizational records maintained by Olsen. Included in these folders are materials regarding the business itself or materials regarding Olsen's involvement with such businesses.

The fifth section contains research materials and are organized by subject. Olsen collected research materials on such topics as the total artificial heart, continuous-flow ventricular assist devices, the electrohydraulic total artificial heart, and physiologic controllers. General subject files have been arranged alphabetically.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection was organized into five series: I. Professional and administrative; II. Writings; III. People files; IV. Business files; V. Research materials.

Original folder titles provided by the creator of the collection have been maintained.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Don B. Olsen in 2012.

Processing Note

Processed by Betsey Welland in 2012-2013.

Separated Materials

Photographs and audio-visual materials were transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

Related Materials

See also the Willem J. Kolff papers (MS 0654), the Barney B. Clark papers (MS 0670), and the Theodore H. Stanley papers (ACCN 3106) all located in the Manuscripts Division of Special Collections.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Artificial organs--Research--Utah
  • Heart, Artificial--Research--Utah
  • Veterinarians--Utah

Personal Names

  • Olsen, Don B. (Donald B.), 1930-2018--Archives

Corporate Names

  • University of Utah--Faculty

Form or Genre Terms

  • Articles
  • Correspondence
  • Reports

Finding aid created by Betsey Welland.
2013 (last modified: 2020)

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