Obituary: Donald C. Nabseth, Prominent Boston Vascular Surgeon

Donald C. Nabseth, M.D.

Oct. 20, 1917 - March 13, 2013

Resident of Cupertino

Donald C. Nabseth died of natural causes at the Health Care Center of The Forum at Rancho San Antonio.

His family expresses sincere gratitude to the staff for the care he received.

Don was one of Boston's most prominent vascular surgeons with an unquenchable intellectual curiosity, making important contributions in areas of vascular surgery including renal transplantation, limb reimplantation, portal hypertension, and venous disease.

His early papers on kidney preservation and transplantation are especially noteworthy, as well as his work on the prevention of kidney allograft rejection. He had a major role in developing new vascular surgical methods (axillo-femoral bypass graft, in situ femoral popliteal bypass grafting) and was one of the first to challenge traditional inferior vena cava ligation as a treatment for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

His work on venous valve auto-transplantation was way ahead of its time, and this remains an unconquered field today. He served on the American Board of Surgery, was a member of the American College of Surgeons, the Association for Veterans Administration Surgeons, and the New England Society for Vascular Surgery, and he presided as President of the Boston Surgical Society.

He retired in 1987, becoming Professor of Surgery Emeritus at Tufts University School of Medicine, after a career spanning experiences as diverse as being a Surgical Intern on duty in the Accident Floor of the Boston City Hospital on November 28, 1942, the night of the Coconut Grove fire, to leading the Surgical Service at the Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center, where he contributed regularly to the rapidly changing field of vascular surgery, particularly related to transplant surgery.

His humble North Dakota roots carried him far. Born in Van Hook, North Dakota on Oct. 20, 1917, Don grew up in Butte, North Dakota. He graduated from the University of North Dakota and attended Harvard Medical School, receiving his M.D. degree in 1942.

He served in the U.S. Army Air Force as a Flight Surgeon from 1943-45 between his Surgical Internship and Residency. He returned to his Residency at Boston City Hospital, completing it in 1949. Appointed as Instructor in Surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine in 1954, he rose to the rank of Professor of Surgery in 1965.

He later played a major role at the Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center, serving as Chief of the Surgical Service between 1965-87. Although he attended as a surgeon at many hospitals in the Boston area between 1960-87, his formative surgical years were spent at Boston City Hospital and his most substantive scientific contributions were made during his time at the Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center.

Don is survived by his wife, Dorothea; their three daughters, Pam, Joan, and Amy; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Published in San Jose Mercury News/San Mateo County Times on March 21, 2013