In 1996, Kurt Amplatz performed one of the first percutaneous catheterization of the heart. Amplatz, M.D., who was a professor of radiology at the University of Minnesota from 1957 to 1997, was a world-renowned pioneer in interventional radiology and pediatric cardiology.

For more than two decades, these devices have been helping treat congenital heart defects and reduce the risk of stroke, from the Amplatzer Amulet LAA Occluder to the smaller-than-a-pea Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder for premature babies.