Memories of TCT 1988 and Beyond: Julio C. Palmaz, MD

San Francisco, CA—Julio C. Palmaz, MD, inventor of the original balloon-expandable Palmaz stent and member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, attended the first TCT in 1988 just months after receiving a U.S. patent for his invention. Dr. Palmaz recently spoke with TCT Daily about his memories of the first TCT meeting. 

What was your professional position at the time you attended the first TCT meeting? Why did you decide to attend?

In 1988, during the first TCT, I was an associate professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in the department of radiology. 

At the time, I was involved with TCT organizers in the planning stages of ongoing clinical trials of the coronary stent. Of course, I knew Martin B. Leon, MD, and what he was trying to do [with this meeting]. Because TCT had a focus on new devices, I was invited to speak on the intravascular stent that I was working on.  At that time, I was principal investigator on what was one of the earliest clinical trials of peripheral use of intravascular stents. 

Will you share a memory you have of the first TCT meeting?

Something remarkable happened. After my presentation on the use of the intravascular stent in peripheral arteries, I was approached by Juan Parodi, MD, from Argentina. He mentioned the possibility of using this intravascular stent in combination with prosthetic material to make bypasses for abdominal aortic aneurysms. Essentially, right there in the TCT hallway, we started the first talks about working together and we eventually did. About two or three years later, in Argentina, we did the first clinical case of intravascular transluminal bypass of an aortic aneurysm, and today it is a commonplace procedure. 

Did you continue to attend TCT meetings throughout the past 25 years? How has the meeting changed over the years?

I always knew that TCT was going to be an important networking meeting, and it was like that from the very beginning. Industry and professional sectors met at TCT and, essentially, it was part of the planning stages for things to come. Of course, TCT was the [obligatory] meeting point from then on. I have attended all of them. 

Are there any milestones in the meeting’s history that stand out to you? Things you will never forget?

TCT grew steadily from the beginning and soon became one of the largest interventional meetings in the world. 

I cannot remember any particular milestone, but obviously the presentation of the early clinical trials on coronary stents was right down my alley. Those were very meaningful to me. I also remember the first presentations on drug-eluting stents, and then the first presentations on transaortic valve replacement and so forth. The big events in this specialty were milestones to me. 

What roles have you played at TCT?

I had an active role all along at TCT. It is a big educational meeting, so you always try to show your best in terms of what you have been working on. Some years, I was very busy with seven to 10 assignments, and other years I did not have so many, but I have always been involved.

What did you think about the decision to move the meeting to the West Coast?

I think it was brilliant! The Washington, D.C., venue was fantastic. Being at the nation’s capital was [part of] the TCT spirit, and that feeling carried on for the first few years. When TCT first moved out, it was risky and nobody knew what was going to happen. In reality, the audience responded perfectly. I believe the numbers always went up in terms of attendance. San Francisco, Calif., is a great venue as well. But TCT is definitely a working meeting. Unlike other meetings that try to go to touristy places to attract audiences, that is not the case with TCT. People come to work. It does not matter where they have it, people will always attend. 

What is your professional position now? What is your current connection to the field of interventional cardiology?

I am not active clinically anymore. I am chair of Palmaz Scientific, an organization that is doing sponsored research in tech-science and technology. I am still on the roster of faculty at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. 

What do you think the future holds for TCT?

These are hard times for medical meetings because of the decreased support from industry and the limitations that regulators have imposed on educational activities. I think that although small meetings are being threatened, large meetings are going to survive. One that is going to survive is TCT. 

A lot of the success of TCT depends on the organizers, and Martin B. Leon, MD, and Gregg W. Stone, MD, do fantastic work. Their passion for the success of TCT shows. Beyond that, the meeting’s success is due to the support of the medical community.