David Lederman, Pioneer of Artificial Heart, Dies at 68

David M. Lederman, who led the team of scientists that developed the first fully implantable artificial heart — which, although it had limited success, prompted further advances in the treatment of late-stage heart disease — died on Aug. 15 at his home in Marblehead, Mass. He was 68.

The cause was pancreatic cancer, his son, Jonathan, said.

Dr. Lederman, an aerospace engineer, founded a small company called Abiomed in 1981, with the hopes of extending lives while providing a greater degree of independence for gravely debilitated heart patients awaiting a transplant. Working with Dr. Robert Kung, the company’s chief scientific officer, he brought together a research team (including other aerospace engineers) that designed the AbioCor....