The Batista procedure was an experimental open-heart surgery that had been studied to reverse the effects of remodeling in cases of end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy. In this case, patients suffer from an enlarged left ventricle that cannot pump blood efficiently.

Though the Batista procedure seemed promising at first, it was later found to have little benefit and considerable risk. Today, the Batista procedure is not a recommended treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy. In this form of cardiomyopathy, the heart fails to respond to conventional therapy, and patients suffer from severe heart failure. However, while the surgery has generally fallen out of favor, a few research groups are still examining the Batista procedure among patients who are unsuitable for heart transplantation, such as the elderly.

During the Batista procedure, a small portion of the enlarged lower-left chamber (ventricle) of the heart was removed, bringing the size of the left ventricle back towards normal. While the patient was under general anesthesia and connected to a heart-lung machine, the surgeon would locate the left anterior descending coronary artery and make two small cuts down and outward to remove a wedge of the left ventricle. This was roughly similar to the way someone would cut out a piece of pie. The remaining edges of the left ventricle were then sewn together, returning the chamber to its normal size. The incision was closed, and the surgery complete.

A variation of the Batista, called the Dor procedure, involved a lengthwise incision in the left ventricle along an area damaged by a heart attack in which an aneurysm has formed. The aneurysm is stitched off, thus reducing the size of the ventricle. If the damaged area was too large, a patch was used to cover the damaged area. This variation was invented by Dr. Vincent Dor of Monaco and continues to see use.

The Batista procedure carried a number of risks. For example, if the procedure was unsuccessful, the patient might need to undergo emergency surgery immediately to have a mechanical heart implanted. In addition, the surgery was associated with a high risk of dangerous heart arrhythmias, which sometimes required implantation of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator at the same time the surgery was performed. Finally, many people who underwent the Batista procedure suffered from recurrent heart failure after the surgery. There are also a number of risks associated with any type of open-heart surgery.