Benjamin M. Belmonte, M.D. ✝

1967: THE OPEN-HEART PIONEER ERA UNDER DR. BENJAMIN M. BELMONTE

A monumental landmark year that permanently accelerated the trajectory of cardiac surgery in the Philippines.

• The Ninth Presidency of PATS: Charter member Benjamin M. Belmonte took the helm as president.
• The Heart-Lung Bypass Milestone: Belmonte was a true titan of the era, celebrated for having successfully performed the country’s first open-heart surgery using a cardiopulmonary bypass machine a few years earlier (at UST Hospital). His 1967 presidential term was dedicated to demystifying the heart-lung machine, formalizing protocols for local perfusionists, and making open-heart surgery attainable for local medical centers.