This document summarizes the history of cardiac catheterization and key figures in its development. It describes how William Harvey discovered the circulatory system in the 17th century. A French researcher in 1844 first used catheters in horses to record heart pressures, coining the term "cardiac catheterization." In 1929, Werner Forssmann performed the first human cardiac catheterization by inserting a catheter into his own heart, advancing the field. In 1958, Mason Sones accidentally injected dye into a patient's coronary artery, allowing visualization of coronary arteries and advancement of bypass surgery. Andreas Gruentzig later developed balloon angioplasty to treat coronary artery disease.

1. The History of Cardiac Catheterization by Laura J.Walker, RN, CCRN.