Andranik "Andy" Ovassapian (; January 27, 1936 – June 17, 2010) was an

Iranian-Armenian Iranian Armenians (; ), also known as Persian Armenians (; ), are Iranians of Armenian ethnicity who may speak Armenian as their first language. Estimates of their number in Iran range from 70,000 to 500,000. Areas with a high concentration o ...

and American anesthesiologist known for the development and teaching of

airway management Airway management includes a set of maneuvers and medical procedures performed to prevent and relieve an airway obstruction. This ensures an open pathway for gas exchange between a patient's lungs and the atmosphere. This is accomplished by either ...

and

tracheal intubation Tracheal intubation, usually simply referred to as intubation, is the placement of a flexible plastic catheter, tube into the vertebrate trachea, trachea (windpipe) to maintain an open airway or to serve as a conduit through which to administer c ...

using an

optical fiber An optical fiber, or optical fibre, is a flexible glass or plastic fiber that can transmit light from one end to the other. Such fibers find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at ...

endoscope. He founded the . Throughout his career, Ovassapian was a professor at

Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) () is a public medical school located in Shiraz, Iran. Since its inauguration in 1946, SUMS has always been ranked among top medical schools in Iran. Currently, more than 10,000 students are studying ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

Early life and education

Andranik Ovassapian was born in on January 27, 1936, in

Arak, Iran Arak (; ) is a city in the Central District of Arak County, Markazi province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is nicknamed the "Industrial Capital of Iran". As a major industrial city, Ara ...

. He studied at the local Armenian school, then at the Araki Pahlav school. In 1961, he completed a medical degree at

Shiraz University Shiraz University ( ''Dāneshgāh-e-Shirāz'', 1979 revolution, formerly known as Pahlavi dynasty, Pahlavi University دانشگاه پهلوی ''Dāneshgāh-e Pahlavi'') is a public university located in Shiraz, Fars province, Fars, Iran, establ ...

. Later that year, Ovassapian started a

residency Residency may refer to: * Artist-in-residence, a program to sponsor the residence and work of visual artists, writers, musicians, etc. * Concert residency, a series of concerts performed at one venue * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or m ...

and research fellowship at the Namaz Hospital. In 1963, he started a residency and fellowship at the

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) is the flagship hospital of Penn Medicine and is located in the University City section of West Philadelphia. History The hospital was founded at its current location in 1874 by the Universi ...

Career and research

After completing his fellowship, Ovassapian taught at University of Pennsylvania for 18 months. In 1968, he returned to the

as chair of the department of anesthesiology. In the 1970s, Dr. Ovassapian started using a flexible

bronchoscope Bronchoscopy is an endoscopic technique of visualizing the inside of the airways for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. An instrument (bronchoscope) is inserted into the airways, usually through the nose or mouth, or occasionally through a tr ...

to facilitate the insertion of

endotracheal tube A tracheal tube is a catheter that is inserted into the trachea for the primary purpose of establishing and maintaining a patent airway and to ensure the adequate exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Many different types of tracheal tubes are a ...

s. In 1974, Ovassapian became the head of the department of anesthesiology at

, and in 1983 he became a professor at the same university. In 1998, he moved to the

Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Department, where he founded the Airway Study and Training Center. In 1988, Ovassapian filed a patent for the device known as Ovassapian Intubating Airway. In 1995, Ovassapian founded the and served as the first president from 1995 to 1997 and executive director from 1998 to 2008. Ovassapian was known for the development and teaching of

Personal life

Ovassapian married Ashghen in 1962. They had one daughter and two sons. He resided in

Highland Park, Illinois Highland Park is a suburban city located in southeastern Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 30,176. Highland Park is one of several municipali ...

. Ovassapian died on June 17, 2010, after a stroke in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

where he was attending the

European Society of Anaesthesiology The European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care is a European professional association of anaesthetists and anaesthesiologists. It is also active in the fields of emergency, intensive care, pain and perioperative medicine. History I ...

annual meeting.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ovassapian, Andranik 1936 births 2010 deaths Iranian anesthesiologists American anesthesiologists 20th-century Iranian physicians 21st-century Iranian physicians 20th-century American physicians 21st-century American physicians People from Arak, Iran Shiraz University alumni Academic staff of Shiraz University Northwestern University faculty University of Chicago faculty Iranian emigrants to the United States Iranian people of Armenian descent American people of Armenian descent American medical researchers Iranian medical researchers