Sunday, July 30, 2006

Close(er) To The Heart

If you are familiarized with my taste in music you might think I'm going to write about an inspiring song written and performed by a Canadian trio...but no, not this time at least.

Instead, when I say near the heart, I'm talking about the human heart. My brother Iván, who is an electrical engineer, has been working with devices that are implanted in veins and hearts for quite some time. Currently he works at Medtronic, a company that designs and manufactures medical technology. Recently the division he manages celebrated an important milestone; the sale of the one millionth device worldwide called CapSureFix Novus Model 5076 making it the most-prescribed lead in the history of pacing. The small apparatus that is produced here in Puerto Rico consists (explained in very simple terms) of a cable that connect pacemakers with the cardiac tissue inside the heart. Basically a 2mm in diameter cable that surgeons carefully maneuver through the veins of patient and is responsible for making sure that small electrical charges reach hearts that have an unstable rhythm. Medtronic has been making Leads in PR for the last 31 years. The Model 5076 was introduced 7 years ago. Here you can see more details

Prior to this, Iván reached another important accomplishment some years ago when with a colleague they patented a device known as a stent for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA). The mechanism helps increase the internal space of arteries and veins that have reduced diameter allowing the blood to flow freely carrying oxygen to all parts of the body. The stent for the AAA prevents the rupture of the abdominal aneurysms.

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