The first angioplasty was performed by Andreas Gruentzig’s on a human in the year 1977. 43 years later the patient is still alive to retell the tales of his success. Andreas Gruentzig is considered a pioneer in human angioplasty. After his animal experiments when he proposed the human experiments he was received with skepticism by many, however when he presented the results of his first four cases of angioplasty a year later after the first angioplasty in 1977 American Heart Association meeting the audience burst into applause with a standing ovation acknowledging the procedure that has revolutionized the management of coronary artery disease. For the man has saved millions of lives of those who have suffered from coronary artery disease.
Gruentzig’s breakthrough was a synthesis of all that had come before and because of the brilliant way in which he fostered its acceptance, the field of interventional cardiology has forever altered the role of the cardiologist in treating the coronary artery disease.
Before the invention of angioplasty, patients with CAD only has two options of medical management or coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
However in a tragic incident Gruentzig has died in a private air plane crash on October 27 1985, only 8 years after his revolutionary angioplasty.
In the initial days of angioplasty it had more than 1/3rd cases of restenosis and up to 10% of patients being sent for emergency surgery.
Over the years angioplasty has evolved from plain balloon angioplasty to bare metal stent to drug eluting stent with non biodegradable polymer to DES with biodegradable polymer, polymer free stent, bioresorbable scaffold, stent for high bleeding risk patients to novel design for left main coronary artery and intravascular lithotripsy. This is the lone interventional procedure which has saved millions of life on earth with its invention and further refinements. On this day, PGI Cardiology department remembers the great contribution of great Cardiologists Andreas Gruentzig etc. for their remarkable contribution to the field of Interventional Cardiology and this will be remembered by all the Cardiologists across the globe in the coming decade.
Prof Yash Paul Sharma, Head of the Department of Cardiology and other faculty members in PGI Chandigarh has envisioned with precision therapeutic and interventional approach in acute coronary syndrome and cardiogenic shock with comorbidities, sepsis and multiorgan dysfunction with improved outcomes.
