**Fly-Fishing to Lifesaver: The Angler Who Revolutionized Surgery**

Thomas Fogarty, a surgeon whose hobby inspired a medical breakthrough, has died at 91. He invented a device that transformed vascular surgery. His key insight came from fly-fishing. Fogarty used his understanding of rods, lines, and casting to create the "balloon catheter." Doctors thread this thin tube into a blood vessel. A tiny balloon at its tip is then inflated. As it is pulled back, it safely removes dangerous blood clots. This minimally invasive procedure replaced major surgery for many patients. It spared them from large incisions and long recoveries. The Fogarty catheter, first used in 1961, became a standard tool worldwide. It is credited with saving millions of lives and limbs.