Cardiologist Richard Heuser, interventional specialist and medical device pioneer, dies at 73
Richard Heuser, MD, an interventional cardiologist known for his groundbreaking work in the field, leadership and strong business acumen, died on May 23. He was 73 years old.
Heuser had a long, impactful career in cardiology, working as a professor of medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and leading the school’s interventional fellowship program for a time. He was a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, Fellow of the American College of Physicians, Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology and Master Fellow of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.
In addition to treating patients, Heuser was known for helping develop state-of-the-art technologies in interventional cardiology, structural heart disease and peripheral artery disease (PAD). He owned 24 medical device patents, served as a principal investigator for more than 100 clinical trials and authored more than 600 medical articles and textbook chapters.
In 2021, PQ Bypass, a medical device company Heuser co-founded, was acquired by Endologix. PQ Bypass was focused on developing new PAD therapies. Prior to the Endologix acquisition, the company had received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s breakthrough device designation for its Detour platform, an investigational treatment for percutaneous femoral-popliteal bypass. Endologix went on to gain full FDA approval for the Detour technology in June 2023.
Honoring his legacy
Shari Heuser, Richard’s wife of 22 years, has said she will be starting a foundation in his name focused on higher education, according to a new report from the Phoenix Business Journal.
In addition, Heuser’s friends and colleagues have been paying tribute to his memory online. Cardiologist Nachiket Patel, MD, described Heuser as “an amazing interventional cardiologist and an even better human being.” Sohail Khan, MD, meanwhile, shared that he “instilled in me the confidence to perform procedures that no one else could.”
Numerous other friends and colleagues have shared their own memories of working with Heuser on social media.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.