Patient No.1: Balloon dilatation is standard today

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Grüntzig outlined the balloon dilation procedure to me down to the last detail. I was fascinated by how simple and gentle this procedure was compared to a classic heart operation. I immediately agreed to the operation simply because I didn’t want to have a scar on my breast.

I wasn’t worried that I would be the very first patient. Then the time had come: I was able to follow everything during the procedure. The procedure went smoothly and afterwards I walked back to the patient’s room. My roommates were amazed that I was already back on my feet and didn’t have a big scar on my chest. They thought I hadn’t even had the operation yet. I then replied that everything had been mended perfectly.

The results of the first stress tests after the operation were already worlds better than before. I was soon dismissed with the admonition to refrain from smoking in future. When I got home, I thought I could smoke another cheroot. After a few puffs I felt sick to my stomach. I knew then that I had to give up smoking completely. Apart from the involuntary abstinence from smoking, I had almost no complaints after the operation. And it stayed that way for many decades.

When I think back to the operation today, I am very grateful for it. I enjoy life every day. I am now 85 years old, and in the last 45 years since the operation I have had a full life – both professionally and privately. None of this would have been possible without the University Hospital and Dr. Grüntzig. I was really incredibly lucky to be in the right place at the right time.