Angioplasty.Org
Most Popular Angioplasty Web Site
   
About Us

Founding Story
Andreas Gruentzig, MDAndreas Gruentzig, MD
inventor of coronary
angioplasty
Angioplasty.Org was created in 1997 as a way of celebrating the first two decades of interventional cardiology and to serve as a community, information source and historical archive for cardiologists and other healthcare professionals. We featured original video interviews with renowned physicians and researchers, news and discussion of controversial issues.

However, unlike most physician websites, we decided to remain open and noncommercial. No passwords, no "doctors only" registration, no industry advertisements.

We soon discovered that thousands of patients were visiting the site, joining the forums, asking questions and educating themselves about the field of interventional cardiology. The fact is, many patients prefer to participate actively in decisions regarding their own healthcare and want to understand the science behind the treatments their doctors recommend.

So, in addition to providing resources to physicians and healthcare professionals, our goal is to offer patients more than the usual pamphlets on "what to expect when you have an angioplasty". We provide in-depth information about coronary artery disease, the evolution of minimally invasive procedures and the status of current and emerging treatments. And, we advocate for patient participation in decision-making and evidence-driven, patient-centered healthcare improvement.

John E. Abele
John E. Abele
This endeavor received a seed grant in 1997 from John E. Abele, Founding Chairman, retired, of Boston Scientific Corporation. His strong conviction was that this website serve as a non-commercial archive of information, and a tribute to the men and women who pioneered interventional cardiology and radiology.

Richard K. Myler, MDRichard K. Myler, MD

Founding Medical Advisor to Angioplasty.Org, trail-blazing cardiologist Richard K. Myler, MD, was introduced to Dr. Andreas Gruentzig by Mr. Abele in 1976. He immediately saw the value of Gruentzig's balloon and invited him to San Francisco, where together they performed the first intraoperative coronary angioplasties. In April 1978, Dr. Myler performed the first PTCA in the United States.

 

Staff
Burt Cohen
Burt Cohen
Burt Cohen, Producer & Editor-In-Chief
BA, Williams College; MFA, N.Y.U. Graduate Institute of Film and Television; post-graduate study, San Francisco State Multimedia Studies Program

Burt has been a pioneer in medical education for nearly four decades. He co-developed the multi-screen, live, interactive video demonstration course and produced these in the U.S., Canada and Europe, training thousands of interventional cardiologists. He has worked closely with the physicians who created this field of medicine since its inception to educate the profession and the public about interventional treatments. His films and websites have been awarded the CINE Golden Eagle, Time Inc Health "Freddie", International Film & TV Festival Silver Medal, American Film Festival Red Ribbon and Art Direction Magazine Creativity Awards. He has been an editorial consultant to the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, created multimedia educational projects from physician training programs to medical history documentaries, for 45 corporate and nonprofit clients including hospitals and universities, device manufacturers, medical imaging and pharmaceutical companies.

Cohen produced and directed the feature-length documentary, "PTCA: A History", which chronicles the birth of interventional cardiology, and created a permanent video installation for the American College of Cardiology's Heart House in Washington, DC. Addressing the 30th anniversary celebration of angioplasty, Dr. Stephen Oesterle, Senior Vice President for Medicine and Technology at Medtronic, stated, "Burt Cohen has been documentarian of this field of medicine for 30 years."

Deborah Shaw, Patient Education Editor
Deborah is a writer, consultant and communications designer specializing in education, training and health. She has developed informational and educational materials for numerous nonprofit and corporate clients including hospitals, schools and consulting firms and edited training materials used by CBS, the American Management Association and Kaplan, Inc. She has been a newspaper columnist and published articles in The New York Times, Training Magazine, ASTD Training and Development Journal, Videography, and other publications. Deborah is also a former school administrator and author of a parenting guidebook.

Megan Andrews, SEO Manager & Content Associate
Megan is a specialist in white-hat search engine optimization and content management, and a writer for print and web outlets. Her roster of past and present clients includes The Discovery Channel, Yelp, Myspace Local, and Yahoo's Associated Content, where her article portfolio has earned over 3.8 million views. Megan holds a Honors Baccalaureate degree from Stanford University.

 

Resources and Experts
experts
Angioplasty.Org has worked with many of the leaders in interventional cardiology. The site includes original interviews and commentary from over 50 preeminent interventionalists. Among the physicians that have served in an advisory role and encouraged our mission are: Dr. Gary Roubin, Chairman of Interventional Cardiology, Lenox Hill Heart and Vascular Institute of NY; Dr. Spencer B. King, III, Fuqua Chair of Interventional Cardiology at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, angioplasty pioneer Dr. Geoffrey Hartzler, stent inventor Dr. Richard Schatz, Dr. Shigeru Saito of Kamakura, Japan, Dr. Paul Yock of Stanford, Dr. Sunil V. Rao of Duke Medical Center, Dr. Eric Topol of Scripps and Editor-in-Chief of theheart.org, Dr. Patrick Serruys of ThoraxCenter in Rotterdam, Dr. William O'Neill of Miami University and many others.

Funding
Angioplasty.Org is editorially independent, journalistic and noncommercial. The site has received modest financial support from medical device companies and healthcare organizations in the form of unrestricted grants. We post no product advertising or editorial content sponsored by, or influenced by, our funders. As part of our news reporting we may post corporate press releases announcing study results and related information; all press releases are clearly identified as such. Our community forum, news feed services and blog pages host Google sponsored ads and links. We do not control Google ad content, and our opinion and community pages, just like our informational pages, are to be best of our knowledge, free of any commercial influence.

Much of the content on the site is produced on a volunteer basis, including the blogs, forum discussion moderation and extensive individual responses to patient inquiries and concerns. We also rely on donations from our user community and small fees from the sale of our medical history videos.

Freddie Award
The "Freddie"
Award, International
Health & Medical
Film Competition,
known as the
"Oscars of
Medicine"
 

"Your site and blog are a lifesaver! Thanks for your thoughts and efforts on behalf of so many heart patients," -- K.G., Patient, Indiana, USA

"Approved for PTCA's!!! Will be starting our 1st case in 1 month. Thank you very much! This site is awesome and very informative!" -- E.Q., Cath Lab Tech, Connecticut, USA

"...extremely helpful, especially for people like us from developing countries. You guys are doing great work. Keep it up!" -- Sam R., Patient, New Delhi, India

"I have used your website repeatedly over the last few months. What a useful and fascinating place to browse! Your website makes the history live. While preparing for my presentation this year at the EuroPCR, I have benefited from your History of Angioplasty Timeline, and your videos. The info I have gleaned here will be an important part of my presentation." -- Sharon S., Cath Lab Nurse, Switzerland

"Angioplasty.Org is awesome; I always refer patients to it. It makes a difference big time. They go and they look and see all the people interviewed and these well-known cardiologists around the world talking about it, and it takes that anxiety away." -- Sanjay Patel, MD, Houston, Texas, USA

"I just recently found your blog online and think it's fantastic. I follow the developments of the medical device industry intimately and find your blogs to be particularly insightful." -- Dale L., Investment Manager, Kentucky, USA

"Thanks!!! You are truly the only light for many of us in a dark tunnel." -- Terrie B., Patient's Spouse, Ohio, USA

"Less than panicked because of your...articles that dispel the mongering. Thank you and continue to be the voice of reason on this issue." - JFM, Patient, Virginia, USA

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