Dr. Sebastián Morales Fuentes

Dr. Sebastián Morales Fuentes is one of Chile's leading interventional cardiologists, with over two decades of practice at Clínica Las Condes — one of Latin America's most prestigious private hospitals and a Joint Commission International (JCI)-accredited institution in Santiago. He has built his career at the intersection of advanced cardiac imaging and minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures, becoming a trusted name in the management of complex coronary artery disease and structural heart conditions.

Over his 22-year career, Dr. Morales Fuentes has performed thousands of percutaneous coronary interventions and has been an early adopter of transcatheter structural heart therapies in Chile, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). His clinical judgment is particularly sought in high-risk patients where surgical intervention carries prohibitive risk, enabling catheter-based solutions that restore quality of life with shorter recovery times.

Dr. Morales Fuentes participates actively in the cardiology training programme at Clínica Las Condes, supervising cardiology fellows and residents in both the catheterisation laboratory and outpatient clinics. He is known among colleagues for his methodical approach to risk stratification, his commitment to shared decision-making with patients and families, and his use of the most current evidence-based guidelines to guide treatment planning.

Beyond his clinical duties, Dr. Morales Fuentes has been an active contributor to the Sociedad Chilena de Cardiología y Cirugía Cardiovascular (SOCHICAR) and has presented findings from his catheterisation laboratory experience at regional and international cardiology congresses. He consults with international patients who travel to Chile specifically for high-complexity cardiac interventions, offering a bilingual consultation service and coordinating pre-procedure workup and post-procedure follow-up in a streamlined manner.

Dr. Morales Fuentes completed his medical degree (Médico Cirujano) at the Universidad de Chile, one of the country's most competitive and respected medical faculties. He subsequently undertook his internal medicine residency and cardiology specialisation at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where he trained in both inpatient cardiology and ambulatory management of chronic cardiovascular disease.

Following board certification in cardiology, he pursued an advanced fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at a leading European cardiac centre, gaining exposure to high-volume percutaneous coronary intervention programmes and emerging transcatheter technologies. He returned to Santiago and joined the catheterisation laboratory team at Clínica Las Condes, where he has since developed specialised expertise in structural heart interventions including TAVR and mitral valve therapies.

Dr. Morales Fuentes holds board certification from the Sociedad Chilena de Cardiología and maintains ongoing continuing medical education credits with the European Society of Cardiology. He regularly attends the EuroPCR and the Latin American Congress of Interventional Cardiology (SOLACI) to remain current with catheter-based innovation.

Dr. Morales Fuentes's primary clinical focus is interventional cardiology, encompassing the full spectrum of catheter-based cardiovascular therapies. In the coronary domain, he specialises in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for both stable ischemic heart disease and acute coronary syndromes, including primary PCI for ST-elevation myocardial infarction. He has extensive experience with complex multi-vessel disease, chronic total occlusion (CTO) PCI, and bifurcation lesion management.

In the structural heart arena, Dr. Morales Fuentes performs transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as part of a multidisciplinary heart team at Clínica Las Condes, collaborating with cardiac surgeons, cardiac anaesthesiologists, and echocardiographers to select optimal candidates and deliver optimal procedural outcomes. He also performs left atrial appendage closure and percutaneous mitral interventions where indicated.

His diagnostic expertise includes coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement, and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance for complex PCI. He treats a broad range of conditions including coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, aortic stenosis, heart failure with preserved and reduced ejection fraction, arrhythmias, and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Morales Fuentes has contributed to clinical research in interventional cardiology, with particular interest in outcomes following complex PCI in patients with diabetes and multi-vessel disease, as well as the Chilean experience with TAVR in intermediate-surgical-risk patients. He has co-authored studies presented at SOCHICAR's annual congress and submitted to regional peer-reviewed journals including the Revista Chilena de Cardiología.

His research philosophy centres on translating global trial evidence into real-world practice within the Latin American healthcare context, accounting for local patient demographics, access to specific devices, and post-procedural follow-up infrastructure. He collaborates with the biostatistics unit at Clínica Las Condes to build institutional registries that capture long-term outcomes and support quality improvement in the catheterisation laboratory.

Dr. Morales Fuentes consults fluently in both Spanish and English, making him accessible to a wide range of international patients who travel to Chile for cardiovascular care. Clínica Las Condes's International Patient Centre provides end-to-end coordination for medical tourists, including appointment scheduling, pre-arrival diagnostic planning, medical record translation, and hotel and transport liaison.

For patients considering interventional cardiology procedures in Chile, Dr. Morales Fuentes offers initial video consultations to review imaging studies and discuss procedural options before the patient travels. This is particularly valuable for those coming from elsewhere in Latin America, North America, or Europe seeking cost-effective access to high-complexity cardiac interventions at a JCI-accredited institution. Post-procedure telemedicine follow-up is available to ensure continuity of care once patients return home.

Dr. Morales Fuentes has been recognised by SOCHICAR for his contributions to advancing interventional cardiology practice in Chile, including participation in national consensus panels on PCI guidelines and TAVR patient selection criteria. He holds active board certification in cardiology from the Chilean medical establishment and maintains fellowship status with the European Society of Cardiology.

He has been named as a contributing expert in Chilean cardiovascular disease management guidelines and has received recognition from Clínica Las Condes for his role in establishing the institution's structural heart programme. His commitment to training the next generation of Chilean interventional cardiologists has been acknowledged through mentorship awards within the hospital's graduate medical education programme.