Medical
Excellence

Barcelona, research
and cutting-edge
technology capital

Barcelona has leading research centers
thanks to innovative equipment, cutting-edge technology
and prestigious professionals.

Barcelona, ​​capital of
research and
cutting-edge technology

High quality
network

WHO and independent rankings consider Catalonia's health system to be one of the best in the world. All thanks to its highly qualified medical staff, the widespread use of advanced technologies and very strict control procedures.

Achievements

The survival rate in complex operations (transplants, vascular surgery in children, etc.) in Catalan hospitals is among the highest in the world.
More than 90% of general surgery interventions are mini-invasive (reaching 98% in abdominal surgery).
The application of the most advanced techniques reduces hospitalization time, which, in the case of critically ill patients, is between five and seven days on average. 70% of surgical procedures are performed on an outpatient basis.
The Barcelona clinics register very low figures for postoperative complications and infections.

Commitment to
investigation

The Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, whose laboratories such as the Institut de Recerca Biomédica (IRB), the IDIBAPS de Hospital Clínic or the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) have the most advanced and innovative technologies to develop interdisciplinary research ,to increase scientific impact and to position itself among the main European scientific institutions. It draws on experts from the best centers in Europe and the United States and drives scientific excellence in many medical and healthcare fields. It currently employs more than 1,400 researchers from more than 40 countries.

Medical milestones

World's first complete vaginal kidney transplant.
Launching for the first time in Spain intraoperative radiotherapy for breast cancer.
Creation of the first Assisted Fertility and Sexuality Unit for people with disabilities.
Pioneers in the use of minimally invasive techniques in digestive surgery and metabolic diseases, robotic surgery and NOTES surgery.
Implantation for the first time in Europe of an Argus II machine vision chip in a deaf and blind patient with Usher syndrome.
First TOC intervention through the SuperPath technique, minimally invasive surgery with a microposterior approach.
Fetal surgery at 21 weeks to save the life of a child with congenital upper airway obstruction syndrome.
Placement for the first time in Spain of a neurostimulator in a Parkinson's patient.
Exclusive leaders in bloodless cardiac surgery, Ross operation, new sutureless aortic prostheses, and ultra-fast track recovery in the operating room.
Implantation of the first Argus II device in Spain in a patient with retinitis pigmentosa.
Birth of the first baby as a result of oocyte vitrification in a case of fertility preservation due to ovarian cancer.
First pediatric cardiac surgery in a child affected by complex heart disease of hypoplastic left heart syndrome by Norwood operation in the neonatal stage.
Barcelona is home to the only European center that administers a drug that is giving very promising results for the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma.
Gazelab - Internationally patented technology to measure strabismus and eye conditions in neurological and psychiatric diseases.

The best specialists

  • Joan Vidal

    Physical medicine and rehabilitation
  • Benjamin Guix

    Oncology
  • Antonio Lacy

    General Surgery
  • Antonio Alcaraz

    Urology
  • Eduard Gratacós

    Fetal Medicine
  • Josep Brugada

    Cardiology
  • Josep Tabernero

    Oncology
  • Francesc Palau

    Genetics
  • Humberto Villavicencio

    Urology
  • Ramon Cugat

    Traumatology
  • Jaume Mora

    Pediatric oncology
  • Rafael Barraquer

    Ophthalmology
  • Valentí Fuster

    Cardiology
  • Joan Massagué

    Oncology

Some of the leading specialists in numerous fields work in Barcelona, ​​including fetal medicine, complex pediatric surgery, oncology, highly complex oncological surgery, ophthalmology, urology, neuroscience, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and andrology and traumatology. Doctors Eduard Gratacós, Josep Tabernero, Jaume Mora, Josep Brugada, Benjamin Guix, Antonio de Lacy, Antonio Alcaraz, Ramon Cugat, Humberto Villavicencio, Eduardo Tolosa and Rafael Barraquer are just some of the world leaders who work in these areas in Barcelona. In addition, it is worth highlighting Dr. Josep Dalmau, world-renowned figure in the new subspecialty neurorimmunology.

It is also one of the leading European cities in the field of organ and tissue transplantation. Our renowned specialists advise other countries, such as Germany and France, on advanced practices. We share our talents with some of the world’s leading research teams. Just to cite New York as an example, Dr. Valentí Fuster directs the Mount Sinai Hospital Cardiology Institute, Dr. Joan Massagué directs the Sloan Kettering Institute dedicated to cancer research.

Long tradition

Both Catalonia and Barcelona have a long tradition in the medical field. The Barcelona Faculty of Medicine has trained some of the most prominent doctors of the 20th century, such as Dr. Josep Trueta, who developed a method for treating traumatic wounds that has saved many lives, or Dr. Ignasi Barraquer, who revolutionized the cataract surgery techniques.

The Faculty of Barcelona also gave rise to names such as Dr. Miquel Sarrias, who changed the prognosis of the spinal cord injury, and Dr. Antonio de Lacy and Dr. Antonio Alcaraz, who currently defy the laws of physics when approaching minimally invasive digestive and urological surgical oncology, investigating new cutting-edge technological techniques.