Background: Why the name Zurich?

In 1977, Dr. Andreas Gruentzig, MD performed the first successful balloon angioplasty (often referred to as PTCA) in Zurich, Switzerland. He used a simple kitchen built catheter and expanded the lumen of a patient's coronary artery and restored blood flow by compressing the lesion inside the vessel with a small balloon at the catheter's tip. Within a decade, PTCA would become the most common treatment option for lumen stenosis. The success of this therapy revolutionized the modern practice of interventional cardiology.