Adib Jatene

Adib Domingos Jatene (June 4, 1929 – November 14, 2014) was a noted Brazilian physician of Lebanese background, university professor, scientist and thoracic surgeon. He is remembered as the inventor of the arterial switch operation (sometimes called the Jatene arterial switch), a surgical technique to correct transposition of the great vessels in the newborn.

Early life and education

Jatene was born on June 4, 1929, in the city of Xapuri in the Brazilian state Acre. He was the son of Lebanese immigrants, Domingos Antonio Jatene and Anice Adib Jatene. His father was a merchant who traded with rubber tappers. Jatene's father died from yellow fever when Jatene was 2 years old. The family subsequently moved to the city Uberlândia in the Brazilian state Minas Gerais where his mother established a business.

He was a member of the Brazilian Academy of Medicine, and has published over 270 scientific academic studies.

Death

Jatene died on November 14, 2014, of a heart attack in São Paulo, Brazil, aged 85.