[Rene Favaloro--a surgeon who has changed the history of coronary disease]

Rene Favaloro was one of the most distinguished surgeons of the 20th century. He was the first to introduce the original technique of aortocoronary bypass grafting, entering the new era of coronary artery disease treatment. Working at the Cleveland Clinic, together with Mason Sones and Effler, he became a member of the medical team which performered the first aortocoronary bypass grafting and showed the functional competence of the new graft. Although today percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary artery stents have a very important role in coronary artery disease treatment, five years after his death aortocoronary bypass grafting is the method of choice in selected groups of patients. Nowadays, when urgent percutaneous coronary interventions are an important treatment option in our country, it is good to remember that this also was the idea of Rene Favaloro and Mason Sones, who discussed agressive treatment in the first hours of myocardial infarction, and to remember his tremendous contributions and life dedicated to cardiosurgery.