Angioplasty.org was created, in part, to establish an archive of materials documenting the history of interventional cardiology. We are endeavoring to preserve and share this history as a tribute to the men and women who pioneered minimally invasive treatment and to provide insight into the processes, conditions and beliefs that nurture scientific innovation. Early angioplasty course, held by Andreas Gruentzig in Zurich

Historical materials are available on the following sections of this site:

35th Anniversary of Angioplasty
2012 is the 35th anniversary of the first percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) which was performed in 1977 by Dr. Andreas R. Gruentzig in Zurich, Switzerland. This angioplasty procedure utilized an expandable balloon, fashioned on a kitchen table in Gruentzig's apartment by Gruentzig's assistant, Maria Schlumpf. See the video of the first PTCA, as told by the people involved, including Adolph Bachmann, the first patient! (Read more...)

Angioplasty Timeline
A pictorial history of interventional medicine

Video / DVD Store
Purchase DVDs of our documentaries, "PTCA: A History" and "Vascular Pioneers: Evolution of a Specialty"

Burt's Stent Blog: Voice in the Ear
A collection of posts from the Editor's Blog pertaining to the history of interventional cardiology and radiology

Interviews
Written transcripts of interviews with leaders in the field of cardiology

PTCA: A History
Information about an award-winning documentary film on the history of angioplasty

Angioplasty.Org's 30 Years of Documenting Stents and Balloons On View at TCT
10,000 cardiologists in DC can see award-winning filmmaker Burt Cohen's history of "the procedure that changed the face of medicine" (October 22, 2007)

30th Anniversary Celebration in Zurich, Switzerland Sponsored by the International Andreas Gruentzig Society, this conference is being held exactly 30 years to the day from when the first percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was performed by Andreas Gruentzig, and in the same hospital center (University Hospital, Zurich).

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Cardium Therapeutics, Inc. and Lenox Hill Heart and Vascular Institute of NY

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