Miguel Sarrias Domingo
Miguel Sarrias Domingo was Medical Director of the Institut Guttmann in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Early years
Sarrias Domingo was born in Barcelona on 19 January 1930, and he qualified in medicine and surgery at the University of Barcelona in 1955. Between 1958 and 1961 he studied under Josep Trueta, professor of orthopedic surgery in Oxford, where he specialized in orthopedic surgery and traumatology.Institut Guttmann
In 1964, plans were underway for the creation of a hospital dedicated to the treatment of people with paraplegia and quadriplegia, the first of its kind in Spain. Sarrias was named medical director. He spent 7 months at Stoke Mandeville hospital in England studying under Dr. Ludwig Guttmann where he learned the specialized treatment of people with spinal cord lesions.The new hospital was opened on 27 November 1965 and was named after Dr. Guttmann, as the Institut Guttmann Spinal Cord Injuries Centre.
Until his retirement in 1997, Sarrias directed the work of the hospital, bringing it to national importance. Under his directorship, the Institute advanced the use of the "Barcelona technique" for the implantation of SARS.
He developed a programme for the training of new specialists, and he supported the advancement of treatment for people with spinal cord injuries and related academic societies both in Spain and internationally.