(NAPSA)—In the U.S., more than 650,000 patients each year have heart procedures called angioplasties to unblock coronary arteries. One of the most widely used technologies for this procedure is a variant of the balloon catheter developed by ThomasJ. Fogarty, M.D., in conjunction with Edwards Lifesciences, almost 50 years ago. It is quite simple; it con- sists of a hollow tube with a tiny balloon at the tip that is inserted and then inflated to open the ves- sel. Howthis technology was developed is a fascinating story of how a young man with a vision would save countless lives. As a teenager, Dr. Fogarty worked as a hospital scrub technician, observing invasive and painful surgeries requiring multiple incisions. Fogarty knew he could do better. He used spare parts from the hospital to attach a surgical glove fingertip to a catheter using a fly-tying technique learned from fly-fishing. Years later during his residency, a mentor put him in touch with a startup medical technology company that madehis vision reality. “When developing medical technology, zip, zilch, nada can be done without the help of industry,” said Fogarty. “In no otherfield is industry and physician collaboration morecritical.” The Fogarty catheter has enabled 20 million patients to receive less-invasive surgeries and a reduced chance of limb amputation or death. For more about how physicians and medical technology companies develop innovations together, visit www.progressyoucansee.org.
