[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 97 (Thursday, June 12, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1212]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION

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                           HON. JOHN CAMPBELL

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 12, 2008

  Mr. CAMPBELL of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate 
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation on their 50th anniversary. Edwards 
Lifesciences is a leader in cardiovascular disease treatments and I am 
proud to recognize them on this occasion.
  Edwards Lifesciences Corporation traces its roots back to 1958, when 
Miles ``Lowell'' Edwards set out to build the first artificial heart. 
Throughout its 50-year history, the company has continued its legacy of 
heart valve innovation. Today, the company's line of tissue heart 
valves, provided under the Carpentier-Edwards brand name, have become 
the choice of surgeons worldwide due to their durability, performance 
and positive quality-of-life benefits for patients, making Edwards 
Lifesciences the world's number-one heart valve company.
  From its success in replacement valve therapies, Edwards Lifesciences 
applied this experience to developing products for heart valve repair. 
Today, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of 
products for the surgical repair procedure--called annuloplasty--and 
its Carpentier-Edwards and Cosgrove-Edwards annuloplasty products are 
among the most sought-after by surgeons around the globe.
  In addition to its heart valve therapies, the Edwards organization is 
credited with pioneering many other medical innovations, including the 
Swan-Ganz catheter, the first technology ever used for hemodynamic 
monitoring of critically ill patients, and the Fogarty line of 
embolectomy catheters, the first catheter-based technologies used to 
remove blood clots from the arms and legs.
  In 2004, the Edwards Lifesciences Fund was established out of the 
company's commitment to strengthen its communities and to support 
advancements in cardiovascular disease awareness and knowledge. The 
fund has already awarded approximately $5 million in grants to 115 
charitable organizations.
  I am pleased the original vision of Lowell Edwards continues today. 
Edwards Lifesciences is a global company with revenues exceeding $1 
billion and 5,600 employees strong, all dedicated to furthering Lowell 
Edwards' original vision to help clinicians, patients and their 
families work together as a united community fighting cardiovascular 
disease.
  Madam Speaker I would like to congratulate Edwards Lifesciences on 
their 50 years.

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