RENE GERONIMO

FAVALORO
Chabela Molla, Magdalena Visco Vicario,
Francesca Baroni y Pilar Valsecchi
INTRODUCTION
 Dr. Rene Geronimo Favaloro was a famous cardiac
surgeon from Argentina who is best remebered for
conducting the first planned coronary artery bypass
surgery, using a technique tha invented himself.
 He founded the Favaloro Foundation, scientific institution
in Argentina, dedicated to teach medicine.
 He trained more than 450 surgeons from all over America
CHILDHOOD AND EARLY LIFE
 He was born on july 14, 192, in La Plata. His
father was Juan B Favaloro, a carpenter, his
mother was Ida Y Raffaelli, a dressmaker. And
he hada brother who also was became a
surgeon.
 Passion for football.

 His uncle inpired him to be a doctor.

 In 1941 he received his bachelor’s degree from

Rafael Hernández National College, after which
he joined the Argentine Army, to serve during
the World War II.
 In 1945 he started his medical studies at the
University of La Plata. He received his degree in
1949, following which he went to Polyclinical
Hospital in La Plata to serve an internship.
 CAREER
 Rene Favaloro had to move to Jacinto Arauz, a poor village situated
around 300 miles away from La Plata, to take the place of a country
surgeon who had fallen ill. Soon he became interested in
developments in cardiovascular intervention and also developed an
interest in thoracic surgery.
 During one visit to La Plata, he met Professor Mainetti who
suggested to him to go to Cleveland Clinic in the United States.
Since Favaloro was working in a rural area, he initially hesitated, but
later realized that upon his return from the United States, he would
be able to contribute much more to his country and community.
Thus he went to the US.
 At Cleveland Clinic, he served as apprentice to Dr. Delos M.
Cosgrove, who was also the co-chairperson of the center. He also
studied with Mason Sones, who is considered the father of
coronary cineangiography.
 In 1967, Rene Favaloro performed heart bypass operation on a 51-
year-old woman. Though two other surgeons, Dr. David Sabiston
and Dr. Garrett, had performed heart bypass surgeries earlier,
neither of the operations had been reported in a medical journal.
Thus Favaloro’s surgery became the first planned heart bypass
operation to be reported.
 Favaloro’s technique involved first stopping the heart and then
taking a section of vein from the leg of the patient. After that, one
end was sewed into the aorta while the other end was attached to
the blocked artery. This technique, which was the fundamental
work of Favaloro’s career, became quite famous, and within a year
171 surgeries were performed at the Cleveland Clinic alone. Later, it
became a standard procedure for heart bypass surgeries.
 In 1971, he gave up his career in Cleveland Clinic and returned to
Argentina as he had always wanted to serve the people of his
country. He soon realized the importance of having an institution
of similar excellence to Cleveland Clinic and began collecting
funds.
 In 1975, he established the famous Favaloro Foundation with the
support of the Cleveland Clinic. He not only trained doctors from
all over Argentina as well as the Americas, but also conducted
several courses, seminars and conferences, to improve the level of
standard of his institution.
 The ‘Basic Investigation Laboratory’ was established by him in
1980, which was financed with his own money. Later, in 1992, the
‘Favaloro Foundation Institute of Cardiology’ was also opened in
Buenos Aires. It started providing highly specialized services in the
fields of cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, as well as heart, lung,
and bone marrow transplants along with many other areas.
 Rene Favaloro operated on the famous
businessman cum boxing promoter Tito
Lectoure in 1990. He also performed
numerous bypass surgeries on poor and
needy patients for free, though the
costs were extremely high. He felt that
for him, it was a moral obligation.
 He strongly emphasized on the
prevention of diseases and spread
awareness on how following basic rules
of hygiene would help in reducing
diseases as well as the mortality rate.
His institution, to fulfill his objective,
used to have illness detection and
prevention programs. Because of their
skilled professionals, specialized
technology, and medical ethics, the
Favaloro Foundation still stands as one
of the largest institutes for cardiology
all over the Americas.
 MAJOR WORKS
 Rene Favaloro operated on the famous
businessman cum boxing promoter Tito
Lectoure in 1990. He also performed numerous
bypass surgeries on poor and needy patients for
free, though the costs were extremely high. He
felt that for him, it was a moral obligation.
 He strongly emphasized on the prevention of
diseases and spread awareness on how
following basic rules of hygiene would help in
reducing diseases as well as the mortality rate.
His institution, to fulfill his objective, used to
have illness detection and prevention programs.
Because of their skilled professionals,
specialized technology, and medical ethics, the
Favaloro Foundation still stands as one of the
largest institutes for cardiology all over the
Americas.
 PERSONAL LIFE AND LEGACY
 In 1951 Rene Favaloro married Maria Antonia
Delgado, with whom he had a relationship since
they were in high school. They shared a happy
and peaceful life. However, they didn’t have any
children.
 Favaloro was quite frustrated at the state of the
world. He realized that though his interest was
only in curing people and creating a better world,
he still didn’t receive the necessary support or
funds from the governmental agencies for this
noble endeavor. Disillusioned and sad, he shot
himself dead at his home in Buenos Aires on July
29, 2000. The whole country was aggrieved at his
death. Though his death was tragic, his life had
taught humanity a lesson in selfless service.
ReneGeronimo
Favaloro