Series 3: University of Utah, 1978-1984

Material in the University of Utah series covers DeVries's tenure as Chairman of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City. It was during this period that DeVries performed his famous total artificial heart (TAH) implant on Barney Clark. There are four sub-series: TAH Study Planning, Patient Records, Institutional Review Board, and General Administration. The TAH Study Planning sub-series includes drafts and final copies of the original study proposal, correspondence with a board of review, consent forms, and drafts and final copies of an amendment to the study. The Patient Records sub-series contains medical histories, operative records, and autopsy reports for a few of DeVries's patients. Of particular note is the material related to Barney Clark, the only TAH recipient operated on under the amended version of the TAH Study. This material includes Clark's medical records from referring physicians, daily post-operative charts and records, and various minutes, letters, and short papers that focus specifically on Clark's procedure. The Institutional Review Board sub-series illustrates the university's attempts to revise the TAH study in the wake of Clark's death. It contains correspondence, questions from the board, DeVries's responses to those questions, and revised protocols and amendments that redefine the original study. The General Administration sub-series is a brief collection of material related to the university in general and the artificial heart program in particular. Folders within each sub-series are arranged chronologically by folder date.

Portions of this series are restricted in accordance with HMD's Access to Health Information of Individuals policy. The Clark material is not restricted due to widespread public knowledge of this patient's condition and death.