GoKawiilUCSF Marks 40 Years Since First Human Catheter Ablation by Dr. Melvin Scheinman
In 1981, UCSF cardiologist Melvin Scheinman performed the first catheter ablation on a human patient, guiding a catheter into the heart and delivering an electric shock to interrupt an abnormal rhythm. The procedure offered a non-surgical alternative to treating arrhythmias, which previously relied on medication or open-heart surgery. UCSF is now recognizing the 40th anniversary of this breakthrough and its lasting impact on cardiology.