The University of Minnesota’s interventional-cardiology program was established in 1986 by Drs. Carl White and Robert Wilson. Since then, interventional cardiology research and clinical programs at the University of Minnesota Cardiovascular Division and the University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview have been at the forefront of many clinical and technical advancements, including:

• The first acute angioplasty program in Minnesota (1986)

• Coronary physiology studies, including the development of coronary-flow-reserve estimations in patients

• Minimally-invasive transcatheter closure of intracardiac septal defects without open-heart surgery

• The concept of self-centering devices, pioneered by Dr. Gladwin Das in 1990, led to the subsequent development of the AngelWings and Amplatzer devices at the University of Minnesota.

• Clinical treatment with self-centering devices since 1995

• Alcohol septal ablation for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

• Contrast-injection technology, including the current generation of devices

• Hybrid transcatheter / robotic-surgery procedures

• Temporary percutaneous left-ventricular assist device (LVAD) support during cardiac catheterization laboratory procedures

• Experimental stem-cell therapy with the potential to repair damaged heart muscle using autologous bone-marrow cells (cells where the patient is the donor and recipient)

• ECMO program fostering innovative cardiopulmonary resuscitation research, world-class training, clinical leadership and practice to optimize outcomes and become an international leader for sudden cardiac arrest patient survival

• Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty (BPA) and Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) programs