Thomas Fogarty, MD, a pioneer in minimally invasive surgery and creator of the Fogarty catheter, died December 28 at 91, Medscape reported Feb. 5.
Dr. Fogarty graduated with his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1960. While in college, he developed the Fogarty catheter, a minimally invasive balloon catheter that removes arterial blood clots. The first clinical report using Fogarty’s technique was published in 1963. Before the device’s invention, surgeons opened the artery with forceps or suction to remove clots.
Dr. Fogarty earned over 190 patents for his tools and devices designed to make vascular surgeries safer. He co-invented the Hancock tissue heart valve, pioneered an endovascular stent graft delivered by catheter, and created new surgical clips and clamps that are still used today.
“Dr. Fogarty is considered as a pioneer in minimally invasive surgery and a giant in surgery who has influenced the practice of nearly all modern practitioners,” the American College of Surgeons said in an in memoriam article.
In addition to practicing at Stanford (Calif.) University Medical Center, he founded two companies. In 1980, he launched Fogarty Engineering, which developed prototypes and early innovations for balloon catheters. In 1993, he co-founded Three Arch Partners, an early-stage life science and medtech venture capital fund. In 2007, he opened Fogarty Innovation, a nonprofit that supports early-stage medical device and health technology developers.
Dr. Fogarty is survived by his wife, three sons and 10 grandchildren.
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