Philippe Gaspard
With Holly Whitin
Andreas Grüntzig’s dream, to treat coronary disease percutaneously with a catheter in conscious and alert patients, is more alive today than ever before and has clearly changed the face of medicine and patients’ lives forever. The invention and evolution of coronary angioplasty is an important part of our shared history and we invite you to join us here as we investigate this gripping story and discover it as it unfolded…told by a witness to those exciting times.
This history was the result of a collaboration between physicians, engineers and companies from both the Old and New Worlds. The first decade was that of the balloon, establishing coronary angioplasty as a credible alternative to coronary artery bypass surgery. Then came the stent. The second decade – the early stent years – was necessary to ensure coronary angioplasty in the short term. The third decade saw the evolution of the stenting platform to improve long-term efficacy and allow percutaneous coronary intervention to become the ultimate gold standard for treating coronary artery disease.