And May 9, 1967a team led by the remembered Argentine cardiovascular surgeon René Gerónimo Favaloro made, in Cleveland Clinic of the United States, a Myocardial revascularization, Also known as Coronary Bypass with Vena Safena, for the first time. An action that marked a milestone in the history of world medicine.
Is that this new class surgery not only meant a innovative cardiovascular surgical model, but, according to various estimates, it allowed to save more than 55 million lives for more than 50 years Worldwide, where today about 800,000 operations of this style are practiced annually, dimensioning what this surgical intervention means today.
“It was a May 9, 1967, in the American city of Cleveland, when my Uncle Grandfather operated a 51 -year -old woman With a technique that revolutionized cardiovascular surgery: The Aortocoronary bypass, then considered one of the ‘400 most important inventions in the history of humanity’ On the Google cultural platform, ”said the doctor excitedly Laura Favalorocardiologist and executive director of the Favaloro Foundation, an institution that in 2025 turns 50.
He added: “This technique, which for the first time was done in history, revolutionized not only cardiovascular surgery, but all medicine and treatment of coronary heart disease. The aorto-coronary bypass has saved more than 55 million lives. And the impact it has had on the world that cannot be dimensioning is so great. And I think that is what is celebrated this day: make visible the importance of cardiovascular surgeons with their work and teamworkwith the critical decision making that they have to do at the operations table where there is a stopped heart that seeks to continue beating, with the very high technical level and training that must be had after more than 12 or 13 years of study to arrive to operate a heart. ”
For Dr. Favaloro, carrying this surname means “great pride and happiness.” “I chose the same profession that I renamed with absolute vocation from a very small The doctor who was received at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires said and then passed through the Ramos Mejía Hospital to complete his professional training.
But in addition, he stressed that “they are values that taught me in my house, in my family and turn at the Favaloro Foundation.” And so it is shown in one of her favorite photos, which is also published by the Favaloro Foundation, in which René is observed Hamacando Laura when she was two years old. Exactly 40.
“From a young age I came to do different practices and rotations to the Foundation, accompanying my dad Roberto, who is currently operating. I also saw my uncle grandfather walk through the halls of this beloved place, always pending patients. When I told René that he wanted to study medicine, he gave me a sculpture of a heart with a coronary bypass That a patient had given him, something that I treasure among my most precious goods, ”Laura said.
Meanwhile, when asked why cardiovascular diseases have both mortality percentage (30%), Dr. Favalor Despite all the advances in diagnosis and treatment, cardiovascular diseases represent 30% of the causes of annual deaths. And this is linked to the lack of prevention and education, because if we since we are children we have healthy habits such as doing physical activity, having a good diet, managing stress, not smoking throughout life, reducing alcohol consumption and making medical check -ups, we can beat this tremendous negative statistic. ”
“This way, We can slow the coronary heart disease and appear at 80 and not at 50. There are many risk factors, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are aimed at sedentary lifestyle, overweight and obesity. This is lack of education fundamentally and as cardiologists it is a great failure that we have to reverse. I think that prevention and regular checks, added to what health education is, are as important as any therapeutic technological advance, ”said the specialist.
“It also affects the issue of stress and the rhythm of modern life where one is doing many things at once. There are so many external stimuli that do not collaborate in our health; but also There are many publications that mention breathing, yoga or mindfulness techniques to counteract them, “he continued Laura Favaloro.
-And he completed: “I think that caring for the heart is fundamental and requires a lot of constancy. We know that the balanced diet is very important, lowering saturated fats and increasing regular physical activity. Not also smoking and having a good rest, which is very difficult today today with all the visual and auditory stimulus that there are. All things play a very important role.”
While recalled: “Small changes can make a big difference in cardiovascular health. And yes, it is true that constancy and discipline is required and medical exams because they can diagnose diseases at an early time and make risk factors control. ”
Currently, the Favaloro Foundation is a medical institution of a high world prestige, which continues to form new generations of professionals and where more than 13,000 cardiovascular surgeries have already been carried out, of which 4000 were Bypass.
“In July we turn 50 and prepare a series of celebrations With very important, national and international guests. But the highlights, without a doubt, They will be 40 patients whose lives we manage to save, which will come to testify to the legacy of Favaloro and the importance of this institution he founded, ”concluded the granddaughter’s niece of an Argentine medical eminence.
Dr. Favaloro was born in La Plata, Argentina, in 1923. He graduated as a doctor in 1949 and in the 50s work as a rural doctor in La Pampa. At the beginning of the 1960s, he was interested in cardiovascular surgery and, in 1962, he was accepted to train in Cleveland Clinic. By 1965, it was part of the clinic’s cardiovascular surgery team.
In 1967, Favaloro began working in the cardiovascular surgery service together with the doctors Donald Effler, Mason Sones and Larry Grovesin the use of the Safena vein (which is in the leg) as a graft to perform a myocardial revascularization.
This procedure is explained in depth in your book Surgical Treatment on Coronary Arteriosclerosis, Posted in 1970, which in Spanish was called Surgical treatment of coronary arteriosclerosis. The Argentine doctor said that his contribution was not personal, but the result of a work team that had as the first objective the welfare of the patient.
After the success of the technique developed by the Cleveland Clinic team and its worldwide dissemination, He decides to return to his native Argentina in 1971, with the dream of creating a center of excellence in cardiovascular surgery.
In 1975, he founded the Favaloro Foundation and assumes as its director until its tragic death in 2000. The Favaloro Foundation has graduated more than 450 cardiovascular surgeons and “it was the lighthouse that illuminated our specialty in the 70’s and 80’s throughout the region,” they stand out from the institution.
The legacy of Dr. Favaloro, with his impeccable trajectory and his concepts that went beyond the field of his specialty, has inspired admiration not only in the Argentine nation, but in all of Latin America and the world.
