Max Harry Weil, a former USC faculty member and pioneer in the field of critical-care medicine, has died at the age of 84. Weil died of prostate cancer on July 29 at his home in Rancho Mirage, where he founded the Weil Institute of Critical Care Medicine.
“Hal trained fellows from all over the world, and their activities have spread the concept and reality of critical care globally” said Philip D. Lumb, professor and chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at the Keck School of Medicine. “His vision was ‘to save more lives’.”
Weil was on the faculty at USC from 1958 to 1981. He and fellow USC cardiologist Herbert S. Shubin founded the nonprofit Institute of Critical Care Medicine at the Keck School in 1961. They are credited with laying the foundation for modern intensive-care units by establishing a four-bed “shock ward" at Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center.
Recipient of the American Heart Association’s lifetime achievement award for contributions to emergency cardiovascular care, Weil is co-inventor of 25 U.S. patented medical devices and treatments. He was instrumental in introducing computerized patient vital-sign monitors and computer-aided medical decision-making. He also implemented the first "STAT" laboratory, providing quick lab results for the evaluation and treatment of critically ill patients in the ICU.
Weil is survived by his wife; his daughters, Dr. Susan Weil and Carol Weil; and four granddaughters.