Mario Dogliotti

Introduce

Achille Mario Dogliotti (Torino, September 25, 1897 – Torino, June 2, 1966) was an Italian cardiac surgeon renowned for his pioneering work in heart surgery.

Born in Turin to Luigi Dogliotti, a doctor and mayor of Alba, and Clotilde Ferrara Bardile, he was determined to follow in his father’s footsteps. In 1914, he enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Turin. When Italy entered World War I, he enlisted as a volunteer and served as a medical officer, earning two war crosses for his bravery. After the war, he resumed his studies, earning his medical degree in 1920 with a thesis on splenectomy in hemolytic jaundice. He became a medical intern at the Institute of Surgical Pathology at the University of Turin, where he worked under the direction of Ottorino Uffreduzzi.

In 1933, Dogliotti developed the “Dogliotti procedure” for epidural anesthesia. As one of Italy’s pioneers in cardiac surgery, he contributed to the development of the heart-lung machine for extracorporeal circulation, which was first used in 1951 in collaboration with American cardiac surgeon Clarence Dennis. Dogliotti also worked on controlled hypothermia and original cardiac surgical techniques.

In 1952, he performed Italy’s first mitral commissurotomy and the first human heart-lung machine operation. He also played a key role in founding the Blalock Center for Cardiac Surgery. Dogliotti’s contributions to blood transfusion, anesthesia, abdominal surgery, and cancer treatment solidified his legacy as a leading figure in medicine.