George "Doc" Lopez

George "Doc" Lopez is the founder and former chief executive officer and chairman of the board of ICU Medical, Inc. and a noted freediver and spearfisherman who has held several world and U.S. records in both sports.[1]

ICU Medical Founder Dr. George "Doc" Lopez.
Dr. George ‘Doc’ Lopez after setting US National record for the Free Immersion diving in 2006.
Dr. Lopez poses beside his world record blue marlin in 2004

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 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] Dr. Lopez was inspired to create the company's oncology product line after his wife, Dr. Diana Kostyra Lopez, lost her six-year battle with cancer.[5] In 2012, ICU Medical introduced a new product in her honor, the Diana hazardous drug compounding system for the automated safe handling of oncology drugs.[6]

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.[7] In 2012, ICU Medical reported $316.9 million in sales worldwide.[8]

In 2014, Dr. Lopez retired as chief executive officer and chairman of the board of ICU Medical and now serves as a director on the company's board of directors.

Freediving and spearfishing records

As an avid freediver (also known as breath-hold diving) and member of the Performance Freediving Team, Dr. Lopez has held records in Free Immersion and Variable Ballast diving,[9] In addition to his freediving records, Dr. Lopez formerly held the world record for the largest black marlin ever caught spearfishing without scuba gear (269.4 pounds (122.2 kg)).[10]

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References
  1. "news |". Performance Freediving. 2008-03-13. Archived from the original on 2011-04-04. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  2. Project Management For Product Development". Projectinsight.net. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
  3. Neutron™. "Infusion Therapy | ICU Medical - Human Connections". Icumed.com. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  4. ChemoClave™ (2011-11-04). "Oncology | ICU Medical - Human Connections". Icumed.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
  5. "Diana Hazardous Drug Compounding System". Retrieved 2013-09-04.
  6. "ICU Medical Launches Diana™ Automated Sterile Compounding System for the Accurate, Safe, and Efficient Preparation of Hazardous Drugs". Reuters. 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
  7. Hospira - Investor Relations - News Release". Hospirainvestor.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
  8. "ICU Medical, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2012 Results". Archived from the original on 2013-11-27. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
  9. "news |". Performance Freediving. 2008-03-13. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  10. "International Underwater Spearfishing Association". Iusarecords.com. Retrieved 2012-09-19.

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