A Dictionary of Dutchness

Dotteren

Dotteren is the wonderfully straightforward Dutch word for ‘percutaneous coronary intervention or angioplasty’ – the process of restoring blood flow through the heart by using a stent or inflatable balloon to widen the arteries. The word comes from Charles T. Dotter, the American doctor who is credited with inventing the first ever stent (which was implanted in a dog) in 1969. Perhaps the rest of us could take the word over, and honour the inventor.