Professor Ladislav Barinka, MD, DSc

(July 1, 1927–July 28, 2020)

Professor Bařinka passed away at his home, accompanied by his wife Jarmila and other family members.

Professor Bařinka graduated from the Medical School of Masaryk University in Brno in 1955 and started working in the Plastic Surgery Institute (founded in 1949 in the building of previously nationalized Navratil GYN Private Sanatorium, Berková 34) at the same year. He was board certified from general surgery in 1958 and from plastic surgery under professor Karfík in 1961. Professor Bařinka´s research focused on – at that time – mysterious and difficult diseases like camptodactyly (PhD thesis in 1966) or treatment of lymphedema (Dr.Sc. in 1979). Later, together with the radiologist Professor Benda, they founded a Center for surgical treatment of lymphedema. This included both diagnostic processes and surgical treatment. Still today, we can meet patients after successful “radical operation” of low extremity lymphedema performed by professor Bařinka. The invention of “superdermatoma” allowed harvesting and processing large split skin grafts used in primary or delayed reconstructions. In the late 80s, professor Bařinka started his attempts to treat lymphedema by microsurgical anastomoses of lymphatic vessels into the veins using end-to-side L-V technique. This complex treatment of lymphedema was the only and unique in the whole country.

Prof. Bařinka earned most of his international fame by his innovative method of ear reconstruction using carved and sutured frame from costal cartilage. Artistic thinking and extremely skilled hands (both in speed and elegant movements to observe) allowed him to achieve better results than his contemporaries using older techniques. He operated more than 200 patients with congenital or acquired absence of the ear, unilateral or bilateral. He wrote a book “Rekonstrukce boltce ušního [Reconstruction of the auricle]” (1987, LF UJEP Brno), admirable witness even for today’s generation of plastic surgeons who use modern alloplastic materials. Professor Bařinka´s reputation on ear reconstruction was well recognized in Europe and we, as young doctors, could benefit from numerous well-known plastic surgeons, like the members of “Mortier de Club”, Prof. Mazola from Milan, Prof. Rafael from Grenoble or Prof. Van der Meulen from Rotterdam visiting and observing Prof. Bařinka in surgery. Prof. Bařinka´s presentation on this topic during the Centennial Symposium in Manhattan EET Hospital, New York, in 1968 was highly appreciated by the audience. Dr. Blair Rogers, one of the giants in ear reconstruction commented the presentation by the following words: “Listening and seeing Dr. Bařinka´s results today is like living through a veritable epoch in the history of advances in ear reconstruction”.

Although this happened back in 1968, the American Society of Plastic Surgery honored Prof. Bařinka 24 years later by an invitation to give Honorary Maliniac Lecture during the Annual Meeting of ASPS in 1992. He became the first plastic surgeon from former communist countries who was privileged to give this lecture. Unfortunately, he was not able to travel to that meeting and invitation was given to Prof. Fára one year later.

Prof. Bařinka significantly contributed to establishing microsurgery as a new revolutionary technique in reconstructive procedures. He started enthusiastic attempts to replant amputated parts and very soon understood that microsurgery needs new conditions for surgery and postoperative care. Nearly semiprivately he and the team of his friends constructed a new building – replantation and audiovisual centre in 1987. This centre serves to microsurgery very well till today and was actually the last new construction in Berkova for the next 34 years till today.

At age of 65, at time for retirement, Prof. Bařinka started a private practice in Damascus where he founded a Department of Plastic Surgery in Teshreen Hospital and later he established a private clinic K.E.I. in Brno where he was operating till his age of 85 years.

Thanks to his inventive spirit, everyday hard work, and enthusiasm for plastic surgery, Prof. Bařinka´s life was fruitful in rare extent. His generosity and noble behaviour was inspiring the students and young doctors for 57 years of his active practice. His last academic publication was a majestic 800-page book “Plastická a rekonstrukční chirurgie” (2016) collecting professor´s whole life personal experience in the field of plastic surgery.

Prof. Bařinka was awarded many times, among the most important ones were state honours given by the president of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic – “Vyznamenání za vynikající práci” in 1981 and by the president of the Czech Republic “Medaile za zásluhy” in 2012.

Professor Bařinka by his contribution to medical science has the right to be called “The Legend of Plastic Surgery”.

Assoc. Prof. Luboš Dražan, MD, PhD,

St. Anne´s University Hospital

Brno, Czech Republic