When is National Without A Scalpel Day?
Monday January 16thEach year on National Without a Scalpel Day, January 16th, recognizes the ability to treat disease without a scalpel. The first angioplasty was performed on this day in 1964 by pioneering physician Charles Dotter. In Portland, Oregon, the ground-breaking operation to open a blocked blood vessel took place. Not only did the angioplasty save the patient from leg amputation surgery, but she left the hospital days later with only a Band-Aid.
No stitches, no scars, no scars... No surgery, no stitches, no scars...
Dr. Dotter developed Interventional Radiology, a cutting-edge medical field in which doctors treat disease by a tiny pinhole rather than open surgery. These doctors use x-rays and other medical imaging to get inside the body when they treat disease. These advancements in medicine have changed the course of medicine.
Both adults and children can be treated with minimally invasive, image-guided procedures (MIIP) today, treating a variety of disorders throughout the body, both adults and children.
