Carpentier-Edwards Cosgrove-Edwards Fogarty Lifepath AAA Research Medical Starr-Edwards Swan-Ganz Edwards Lifesciences The Name Behind the Brands THE STORY OF EDWARDS Since becoming an independent, public company in April  2000 , Edwards Lifesciences has furthered the legacy of innovation and quality that began in the workshop of  Miles “Lowell” Edwards some  45 years ago. An inventor and retired electrical engineer, Edwards and Oregon surgeon Dr. Albert Starr developed the first commercially available artificial heart valve, which was successfully implanted in  1960 . The company spawned from that early collaboration, Edwards Laboratories, went on to launch a number of additional “firsts” in medical technology. These included  the first hemodynamic monitoring system for critically ill patients, developed with the help of cardiologists Jeremy Swan and William Ganz, and the first catheter technology to remove blood clots from the limbs, developed with vascular surgeon Thomas Fogarty. Later, the organization continued its innovative work with cardiovascular surgeons Alain Carpentier and Delos Cosgrove in developing and introducing its Carpentier-Edwards brand line of tissue replacement heart valves and repair therapies, and Cosgrove-Edwards brand line of repair products, respectively. As a result of these and other collaborations with leading clinicians, the company has grown to become a global leader in products and technologies to treat advanced cardiovascular disease, with some of the most respected brands in cardiovascular care. The same energy and collaborative spirit that inspired Lowell Edwards more than four decades ago still drives Edwards Lifesciences and our  4 , 800 employees worldwide today. That inspiration, and the conviction that we have much more to do on behalf of cardiovascular disease patients, will always be at the heart of our company.