George "Doc" Lopez
George "Doc" Lopez is the founder and CEO of ICU Medical, Inc. and a noted freediver and spear fisherman who holds or has held several world and U.S. records in both sports.[1]
ICU Medical, Inc.
As a board certified practicing internist, Dr. Lopez started ICU Medical after he lost a patient due to an accidental IV disconnect.[2] He invented a product, later known as the ClickLock, which provided a locking mechanism for these IV systems. The ClickLock consisted of a protected needle and locking housing that prevented health care workers from being accidentally stuck by the IV needles. The ClickLock was the first of several clinical innovations Dr. Lopez developed for ICU Medical that focused on enhancing safety at the point of care, including the Clave family of needlefree vascular access devices and the Neutron Catheter Patency Device.[3] In 2006, ICU Medical introduced its first products into the oncology marketplace. Dr. Lopez was the lead inventor of the ChemoClave system, a closed system transfer device (CSTD) that allows pharmacists and nurses to safely mix and administer hazardous drugs used to treat cancer patients without exposing themselves to these drugs.[4]
ICU Medical acquired the former Abbott Laboratories Critical Care business from Hospira in 2009 following a four year business arrangement in which ICU acted as the manufacturer of the Hospira critical care product line. The acquisition allowed ICU to obtain new manufacturing space in Salt Lake City, Utah, while it also broadened the company's footprint in the hospital marketplace with products designed for use in high acuity clinical settings like the operating room and intensive care unit.[5] In 2011, ICU Medical reported $302 million in sales worldwide.[6]
Freediving and Spearfishing Records
As an avid freediver (also known as breath-hold diving) and member of the Performance Freediving Team, Dr. Lopea has held records in Free Immersion and Variable Ballast diving, [7] Freediving is a form of underwater diving that does not involve the use of scuba gear or other external breathing devices, but rather relies on a diver's ability to hold his or her breath until resurfacing. In addition to his freediving records, Dr. Lopez currently holds the world record for the largest black marlin ever caught spearfishing without scuba gear (269.4 lbs). [8]
References
- ^ "news |". Performance Freediving. 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
- ^ Project Management For Product Development". Projectinsight.net. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ Neutron™. "Infusion Therapy | ICU Medical - Human Connections". Icumed.com. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
- ^ ChemoClave™ (2011-11-04). "Oncology | ICU Medical - Human Connections". Icumed.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ Hospira - Investor Relations - News Release". Hospirainvestor.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "ICUI: Summary for ICU Medical, Inc.- Yahoo! Finance". Finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
- ^ "news |". Performance Freediving. 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
- ^ "International Underwater Spearfishing Association". Iusarecords.com. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
