Next to the Patio de Caballos, behind a large wooden gate, lies the infirmary of the first bullring in the world. Since the inauguration of Las Ventas, this space has undergone numerous renovations to adapt it to new surgical advances. Today, it can be considered a hospital.
The Las Ventas infirmary serves all types of public: spectators, workers in the arena and, of course, bullfighters. When a matador is gored, he is taken by his colleagues to the observation room, where he is given an initial assessment. If it is determined that the injured person needs surgical attention, the swordsman is notified, who undresses the bullfighter, avoiding, as far as possible, cutting the bullfighter’s suit. As a curiosity, inside the infirmary there is a television through which the medical team closely follows the gorings; in this way, when the bullfighter arrives at the observation room, they know, almost perfectly, the location, extent and trajectory of the goring. In the Las Ventas infirmary, under the care of the team of Dr. Máximo García Padrós, the main treatments are carried out, those of greatest urgency and magnitude. Afterwards, the injured person is transferred in a mobile ICU to a hospital, where his recovery continues. Hundreds of lives have been saved within the walls of Las Ventas, sometimes miraculously, thanks to the mastery of its doctors.
How many people have died?
Since the opening of Las Ventas, only five people have died in this infirmary: two bullfighters, two banderilleros and a carpenter. This demonstrates the good work, experience and professionalism of the workers at the infirmary of Las Ventas.
