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Sandy Journal

Merit Medical Promotes Innovation

Dec 15, 2015 08:37AM ● By Bryan Scott

Founded in 1987, Merit Medical Systems is a world-wide company engaged in the development, manufacture, and distribution of disposable medical devices. These devices are used by client hospitals in procedures for both diagnosing and intervening in medical conditions, particularly in cardiology, radiology and endoscopy. 

Headquartered in South Jordan, Utah, Merit Medical employs approximately 1,600 people in Utah, and approximately 3,700 people worldwide. “Merit Medical is very proud of our South Jordan headquarters” states Fred Lampropoulos, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Merit Medical. “It’s from here that we run our global business, providing important medical devices to improve healthcare around the world. We’ve purchased more than 50 acres in the area to so that we can expand our campus as needed, yet keep some open, green space that is appreciated by the community.”

Their goal as a company is to support the doctors around the world who are in direct contact with patients. They strive to offer this support by developing products with a “listen-first” approach. They are proud to provide doctors with what they ask for and need by way of continually evolving medical devices. 

Merit Medical not only listens, they act. They are a major leader in the movement promoting the use of the radial artery, located in the wrist, instead of the more traditional technique of using the femoral artery, found in the groin, as the entry point for cardiac catheterization and peripheral procedures. Using the radial artery for these measures gives the patient less discomfort, fewer complications, and a shorter recovery time, which results in less time in the hospital. When all is said and done, the adoption of radial access procedures could mean significant cost savings for the U.S. health system each year. 

Powered with this knowledge, Merit Medical has established an international program, ThinkRadial™, which provides radial training, resources, and products for physicians. The program offers hands-on training at a renowned two-day immersive course at the Merit Medical campus in South Jordan. Many doctors and patients are benefiting from this education and training. “The Radial Approach has many patient benefits, including less bleeding risks and early ambulation. Because of these advantages, my hospital group, Mountain Star, supports the radial approach. We are also seeing a trend in patient preference for the radial approach,” states Dr. Pawan Sharma, an Interventional Cardiologist at the Heart Center at St. Mark’s Hospital.  “Before attending Merit Medical’s ThinkRadial™ course, I used the radial approach in a very limited number of patients. After attending the Course, I will start using this approach in more patients. I was fortunate to have such a great training opportunity in Salt Lake City.”

Merit Medical Systems is definitely making an impact. We are proud to have such an innovative and influential company as part of our community. To learn more, visit www.Merit.com or ThinkRadial.com.