Interventional cardiology in Chile

In Chile the first experiences with cardiac catheterization began very shortly after Forssmann's first studies. Percutaneous coronary balloon angioplasty (PTCA) was first performed in 1982. Despite a progressively great interest and training of physicians in invasive cardiology there are still restrictions in its development. Most private institutions have modern facilities but their caseloads, ever increasing, are still limited because they take care of only 35% of the population. Public institutions are limited because of funding, and some are just developing PTCA. The situation has improved recently because of deals between the private and public systems. Experience with newer devices is even more limited.