The article is devoted to the history of surgical treatment of patients with acute embologic ischemia of lower limb. More than 125 years have passed since our compatriot I.F. Sabaneev made the world’s first attempt at embolectomy in 1895. Despite the fact that in the world literature the date of successful embolectomy is 1911 performed by Lejart, the work of I.F. Sabaneeva was the trigger to the improvement and detailing of this operation. The article describes the evolution of this operation type from its lack of demand at the end of the 19th century to its recognition as «gold standard» in patients’ treatment with acute embologenic ischemia of the lower limbs. The contribution of both domestic and foreign surgeons is analyzed and presented.