Ironies of the heart
• Eminent cardiovascular surgeon Álvaro Lagomasino Hidalgo recovering satisfactorily from recent heart operation

Freddy Pérez Cabrera

PARADOXES of life. Doctor Álvaro Lagomasino Hidalgo, one of Cuba’s master heart surgeons who has saved many lives, was forced to undergo emergency surgery himself due to a coronary disorder.

It all happened suddenly, as is sometimes the case in coronary disease. Having performed the 1,999th heart operation at the Ernesto Che Guevara Cardiovascular Center, Lagomasino, whom his colleagues refer to as profe (prof), felt a pain in his chest, which bothered him a bit, but to which he attached little importance.

Lagomasino, a great but modest person, and with the good humor which characterizes him, thought that the cause of his chest pain was some involuntary physical movement. Enthused by the idea of performing the 2,000th coronary operation in the history of the Center, he continued with his habitual work and the landmark operation, alongside the rest of his team, who were as delighted and satisfied as he was with the result.

However, a few days later, the pain returned and there was no alternative but to undergo the relevant tests and analyses, which corroborated a problem in the coronary artery, which required swift action, given the real risk of a heart attack.

"I am very calm and have total confidence in the specialists at the Cardiovascular Center; they know what they’re doing," Dr Lagomasino told us a few days before undergoing surgery, when we visited him at home in Santa Clara.

"There is no need for the excessive concern that some people have expressed. Things are done well here, and when one works in this way, there shouldn’t be any problems, though there is always a risk," he added.

He told us that a great personal friend of his and of the institution, the Uruguayan doctor, Mauricio Cassinelli Arana, a highly experienced heart surgeon, asked to be present with the hospital specialists during the operation as soon as he heard the news.

"For me, it’s an honor to have Mauricio present; apart from being an exceptional surgeon, he is a friend who contributed to our training," Lagomasino commented, recalling that, in 1988, in conjunction with other doctors, they both performed the first coronary operation in the Villa Clara Cardiovascular Center.

The complex surgery on patient No. 2,003, not exempt from additional tensions despite being just one among the thousands performed there, different for obvious reasons, took place October 20.

Dr. Raúl Dueñas, Center director responded to Granma’s enquiries, the morning after the surgical procedure, providing the key to the success of the operation. "When things are planed well, and done as they should be, there is no reason why there should be problems. Lagomasino came through it perfectly, as has been the case with 95% of patients who have undergone surgery here."

Speaking about the operation, Dr. Cassinelli stated that it was a complex one, as are all heart operations, not exempt from risks, but everything went very well and the patient’s subsequent recovery has been excellent.

He explained that the surgery involved a double bypass, a procedure undertaken with the partial support of extra-corporal circulation and the heart beating.