Spectranetics Named Company of the Year in Colorado

DENVER, Feb. 18 -- Spectranetics Corp., based in Colorado Springs, has been named company of the year by the Colorado Photonics Industry Association (CPIA), which will present the award at its quarterly meeting here this week.

The award recognizes Spectranetics' innovative use of photonics in biomedical applications. Spectranetics develops and manufactures the ultraviolet excimer laser for cardiovascular procedures. Delivering very high laser energy in extremely short pulses, this technology safely and effectively removes arterial blockages and ablates the scar tissue holding problematic pacemaker/ICD cardiac leads in place. Unlike the old hot-tipped laser, the "cool" excimer laser ablates tissue at about 50 microns from the catheter's tip without inducing thermal damage to the treated artery, the company said.

Robert Golobic, PhD, a US Air Force physicist, and John Sverdrup, a Hewlett-Packard engineer, founded Spectranetics 20 years ago.

For more information, visit: www.coloradophotonics.org