History and Future
AGA Medical Corporation is a publicly-held medical technology company headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota. AGA Medical has offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France, Argentina, Hong Kong and provides its medical devices through direct sales and distribution agreements in over 100 countries.
Dr. Kurt Amplatz
The company was founded in 1995 based on the creative and engineering genius of Dr. Kurt Amplatz. Working as a professor and researcher at the University of Minnesota Department of Radiology, Dr. Amplatz recognized the potential of Nitinol alloy as a material to make highly flexible, structurally sound occlusion devices for repairing holes in the heart interior wall, or septum, between the atria and ventricles. With a number of Nitinol devices already in use from his designs for guide wires and snares used in interventional radiology and cardiology, Dr. Amplatz was highly aware of the capabilities of the material for use in catheter-delivered procedures and therapies.
Through highly creative design and a unique understanding of the requirements for catheter-delivered treatment, Dr. Amplatz invented the AMPLATZER® Septal Occluder for closing atrial septal defect, a common congenital heart defect found in infants. Over 90,000 Septal Occluders have been manufactured since their commercial introduction in the European Union in 1996 and FDA approval in 2002. The introduction of the AMPLATZER Septal Occluder changed the landscape of congenital heart repair, and has been the foundation for an ever-expanding line of occlusion devices.
Since 1995, AGA Medical has grown to over 330 employees. In December 2006, the company moved into a new research, manufacturing and operations facility at the company headquarters in Plymouth, Minnesota. Clinical Trials are underway for a number of AMPLATZER Occluder uses in treatment of stroke and migraine. Learn more about Clinical Trials.
The company continues research and development of new devices for a growing range of structural heart repair and circulatory conditions.