In Ciudad Guayana, Dr. Luis Manuel Bartolozzi led the first Bentall procedure ever performed in the region. An emergency operation, a team of 15 professionals, and a 52-year-old patient who survived one of the most severe cardiac conditions known.
A Rare and Extremely Dangerous Condition
An aortic dissection is a tear in the inner layers of the aorta, the main vessel that supplies blood to the entire body. It often occurs without warning signs, as was the case with this 52-year-old patient, who had hypertension but was under medical supervision and had no major medical history. In Venezuela, one person dies from a myocardial infarction every 30 minutes. Aortic dissection, however, is even more unpredictable and almost always fatal without immediate intervention.
In this specific case, the dissection had affected not only the ascending aorta but also the aortic valve and the coronary ostia—the origins of the arteries that supply blood to the heart itself. This represents one of the most complex clinical scenarios in cardiac surgery.
The Bentall Procedure: Rebuilding the Aorta from Within
The Bentall technique, described in medical literature since the 1960s, consists of simultaneously replacing the ascending portion of the aorta, the aortic valve, and reimplanting the coronary arteries—all through a Dacron tube equipped with an integrated prosthetic valve. It is a rare and demanding surgical procedure that leaves no room for error.
“With any surgery, there is always a degree of fear. That is precisely what allows us not to overlook any detail.”
The operation involved more than 15 professionals: surgeons specially brought in from Caracas, cardiovascular anesthesiologists, intensivists, a perfusion team for extracorporeal circulation, and instrumentation staff from both cities. It was a considerable logistical undertaking made possible through meticulous planning.
A Surgeon Trained Between Bolívar and Barcelona
Dr. Bartolozzi began his medical training at the University of Oriente in Bolívar before specializing in cardiac surgery at the University Hospital of Caracas. In 2017, he moved to Spain, where he worked in several institutions, including the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona during the last three years—one of Europe's leading cardiovascular surgery centers, where the Bentall procedure is performed on a weekly basis.
“When you arrive at a first-world hospital, you realize that we were doing things well in Venezuela. What was missing were the resources, not the expertise.”
Since returning to Ciudad Guayana last December, he has already encountered three to four cases of aortic dissection in less than three months within a population of one million inhabitants. According to him, this confirms that the procedure will likely become a recurring necessity in the region.
Prevention Before Surgery
Beyond the surgical achievement, Dr. Bartolozzi is delivering an important public health message. A marathon runner himself, he reminds people that intense physical exertion without prior cardiac evaluation can be fatal, even among athletes who appear to be in excellent health. His team is currently developing a screening program for amateur and professional athletes in the region.
His recommendations are clear: consult a cardiologist regularly, quit smoking, combat a sedentary lifestyle, and address excess weight—modifiable risk factors that, when combined with genetic predisposition, contribute significantly to cardiovascular disease.
“We cannot change hereditary factors. But we can correct the others. It is as simple as that.”