Gabor B. Racz

Gábor Béla Rácz (July 6, 1937 – June 21, 2025) was a Hungarian-American board-certified anesthesiologist and professor emeritus at Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC) in Lubbock, Texas, where he was also Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Anesthesiology and Co-Director of Pain Services. He has worked in the field of chronic back pain and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

In 1982, he designed the Racz catheter, a flexible, spring-wound catheter with a small fluoroscopic probe. In 1989, he developed epidural lysis of adhesions, sometimes referred to as percutaneous adhesiolysis, or simply the Racz procedure. It is a minimally invasive, percutaneous intervention for treating chronic spinal pain often due to scarring after post lumbar surgery syndrome, sometimes called failed back surgery, and also low-back and radicular pain from spinal stenosis, a disease of aging. The procedure is somewhat similar to an epidural

Racz was born in Hungary and, as a young man, had aspirations to become a medical doctor. He was a second-year medical student in November 1956 when he was forced to flee Hungary after the Soviets invaded Budapest in response to the Hungarian Revolution. He eventually arrived in England and resumed his education. He graduated from the University of Liverpool School of Medicine, and worked in the UK until 1963 at which time he moved to the United States. He completed his anesthesiology residency at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. He also worked as an associate attending anesthesiologist and respiratory consultant for other hospitals including the Veterans Administration Hospital, and the UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich, New York, before moving to Lubbock, Texas, where he became the first chairman of anesthesiology for the then-new Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC). Racz is also one of the founders of the World Institute of Pain.

Early life and education

Racz was born in the Kingdom of Hungary to parents with a financially meager background which he attributed in part to his family's resistance to join the Communist party. He attended Semmelweis University Medical School, and it was during his second year there that the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 had begun. After seeing hundreds of injured people, he volunteered to help at the hospital. He said he received a signed directive to drive a truck and deliver sugar to the medical school clinics which he believed motivated the Hungarian Secret Police to seek him out for questioning. He also recalled a shooting incident where a bullet missed his head by "a few inches". In 1962, he graduated from the University of Liverpool School of Medicine with Bachelor of Medicine (M.B.) and Bachelor of Surgery (Ch.B) degrees. Ian McWhinney and his wife helped Racz get his start as a doctor by providing him with rent-free lodging so he could finish his education. He said their generosity became a lifelong example in that "one must study and pass on knowledge and help the next generation." In 2015, Racz held the designation of Professor and Chairman Emeritus, Director of Pain Services for Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Racz catheter and Racz procedure

Racz's work with nerve stimulators, spinal cord stimulators, radiofrequency thermocoagulation, and a wide range of other pain management procedures is being used in interventional pain practices throughout the world. He developed new designs in medical equipment and devices. In 1989, he developed epidural lysis of adhesions, a minimally invasive, percutaneous procedure also known as the "Racz procedure", which is somewhat similar to an epidural. or radicular pain from spinal stenosis, a disease of aging.

Death Racz died on June 21, 2025 at the age of 87. He was honored worldwide for his pioneering work in interventional pain management. As chairman emeritus of anesthesiology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and co-founder of the World Institute of Pain, his influence reached across continents. His commitment to education and clinical excellence lives on through the Annual Gabor Racz Pain Conference in Budapest and Racz EDU, the educational platform that bears his name and offers both global hands-on workshops and online content to promote excellence in interventional pain medicine.

Recognition and awards In 1996, Racz was the first recipient of the Grover E. Murray Professorship, TTUHSC's highest award.

In 2004, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. Among his works are: Racz G., 1985: Capnography In The Operating Room: An Introductory Directory. by May, Wr., J. E. Heavner, D. Mcwhorter And G. Racz. Vi 58p. Raven Press Books, Ltd: New York, N.Y., USA. Illus. Paper. Vi 58p Racz, Gabor B. 1989 Techniques of Neurolysis Gabor Racz (Ed.), (Print) 978-1-4899-6721-3 (Online), Current Management of Pain, Vol. 4, Springer U.S.