Dubner, Sergio

Mautner, Branco

English

Via Medica Journals

639www.foliacardiologica.euPEARLS AND GIANTS IN CARDIOLOGYFolia Cardiol.2006, Vol. 13, No. 7, pp. 639–640Copyright © 2006 Via MedicaISSN 1507–4145A glorious life and a tragic death:Dr. René G. Favaloro (1923–2000)Rene Geronimo Favaloro was bornto Sicilian immigrant parents on 14th July1923 in La Plata city, the capital of theprovince of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Hisfather was a carpenter and young Renefrequently worked with him in his work-shop. His idol was his uncle, a family phy-sician, at whose prodding he entered theMedical School of La Plata University,where he graduated in 1948.During the next 12 years Favaloro worked asa general physician in Jacinto Aráuz and in 1950married Maria Antonia, who became his life-longlove and partner. In this small rural town of La Pam-pa province he built his own laboratory facilities andhad X-ray equipment and an operating theatre. Hisfascination with thoracic surgery led him to apply,at the relatively ripe age of 40, for a Fellowship atthe Cleveland Clinic. At first he could only becomean ”observer” here, but later, at Dr. Effler’s invita-tion, he joined his open-heart team.At that time Mason Sones and his team hadalready performed hundreds of selective coronaryarteriographies at the Cleveland Clinic. Favalorowas fascinated by the accuracy of this method inpinpointing lesions in the coronary arterial tree.This is not the place to describe earlier attemptsby Dr. Effler and his team to provide surgical solu-tions for narrowed and blocked coronary arteries,but Rene Favaloro’s proposal that the saphenousvein be used as graft to “by-pass” a coronary lesionwas revolutionary. Favaloro performed the first suchoperation on May 9, 1967. The success of this and ofsubsequent “by-pass” operations, especially thoseusing the left mammary artery, demonstrated clear-ly the immense value of these new procedures.Rene Favaloro worked at the Cleveland Clinicat the same Unit until 1970. During this period hebecame known worldwide, lectured at the mostimportant international meetings and even per-formed by-pass operations as a guest surgeon over-seas, most famously, at the invitation ofDr. Donald Ross, the first coronary by-pass surgery in England at the NationalHeart Hospital of London. Favaloro,known for his modesty, always pointedout that the pioneering spirit in Dr. Ef-fler’s department, the development ofcoronary angiography under Mason Sonesand the collaboration between these twomen were essential for his achievements.In June 1971, disregarding important offersreceived from elsewhere in the USA, Rene Fava-loro submitted his letter of resignation to Dr. Effler.He returned to Argentina, where he worked asDirector of Cardiac Surgery at the Güemes Hospi-tal, which became the most important medical cen-tre for the whole of South America. Here in 1980he performed the first heart transplantation inArgentina. In the late 1970s Rene, together with hisbrother Juan Jose, created and developed the Fav-aloro Foundation for Research and Education, builtthe Institute for Cardiology and Cardiovascular Sur-gery that opened on July 1992 and in 1993 estab-lished the Favaloro Institute Medical School, whichin 2000 became the Favaloro University. Favaloroachieved exceptional popularity in Argentina. Inopinion polls 70% declared that they would vote forhim as President, and he was offered the positionof Minister of Public Health several times, but henever accepted a political or official nomination. Hispublic image was that of altruism and dedication tothe underprivileged, a man respected and belovedby the people.On July 29, 2000 Rene Favaloro died by his ownhand. We now know the most plausible explanationof this unexpected tragic deed. The Favaloro Insti-tute had run into a large deficit and his plea for helphad fallen on deaf ears. In mid-July 2000 he evenapplied to the President of Argentina for financialhelp for the Institute, but by the day of his death noanswer had yet come. Proud and sensitive,640Folia Cardiol. 2006, Vol. 13, No. 7www.foliacardiologica.euFavaloro could not tolerate what for him was a mat-ter of unbearable personal failure.The impact of his death on the people of Ar-gentina has been striking. He had demonstrated hislove to his country by leaving his personal inter-ests in order to return there and to contribute tomaking its cardiology and surgery one of the bestin the world, and his country returned his love andaffection. He was not only cherished in Argentinafor being a heart surgeon of worldwide renown, buthe was looked upon as an educator and writer anda historian who had written several books. In hislast years his main lectures had been devoted tosocial problems, such as the Paul D. White Lec-ture delivered at the 1998 American Heart Asso-ciation meeting, which received a standing ovationfrom five thousand cardiologists. Those of us whohad the privilege of working with him and thosewho knew Rene Favaloro in person hold fond mem-ories of him, recalling his bedside manner, his de-votion to his work and his sacrifice to his fellowhuman beings. We all remember him as a greatsurgeon and a great physician but, above all, asa great man.Branco Mautner and Sergio DubnerBuenos Aires, Argentina

A glorious life and a tragic death: Dr. René G. Favaloro (1923-2000)

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A glorious life and a tragic death: Dr. René G. Favaloro (1923-2000)

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