In October 2019, the mountaineer from Lleida Oriol Baró suffered a serious accident on the Agullas de Comalestorres (Vall de Boí) when a granite block hit him, fracturing seven vertebrae (six thoracic and one cervical) and thirteen ribs. After being stabilized at the rescue site, he was rushed to ICATME–Hospital Universitari Quirón Dexeus, where Dr. Augusto Covaro and a multidisciplinary team carried out the initial intervention, combining open spinal surgery with intraoperative neuromonitoring.
The operation, conducted by four surgeons and a neurophysiology specialist, successfully repaired Oriol’s spine and chest in almost six hours. Later, at the NovaAliança clinic in Lleida, Dr. Covaro and Dr. Christian Schindler implanted disc prostheses using minimally invasive endoscopic techniques. Thanks to two incisions of just 1 cm each, they preserved the spine’s natural movement and promoted the patient’s early recovery.
Today, Oriol has returned to his passion for climbing and works as a UIAGM guide and instructor in vertical techniques. His remarkable recovery has earned him a nomination for the 2024 Piolet d’Or—mountaineering’s “Oscar”—and demonstrates how surgical expertise combined with cutting-edge technology can restore mobility and hope to those facing complex spinal injuries.
