Medtech Snapshot Podcast: CEO Alex Cooper - Surprise Interview

In this episode of Medtech Snapshot we surprise our guests with an unexpected question having to do with their careers and a defining, breakthrough moment. Listen in as CEO of Relief Cardio, Alex Cooper walks us through why he chose his profession, and what keeps him going day in and day out.

​Transcript:

Travis:
Welcome back to the Med Tech Snapshot podcast, the One question, one answer digest discussion surrounding all things medical device. Today we're covering an interesting topic with our guests where we asked them a surprise question, which they had no time to prepare for. 

That question is share with us a breakthrough moment, a defining moment in your career, which when looking back on it, was the catalyst for where you are today. 

I personally love this portion of the interview because it really leads us through a candid look under the proverbial hood of our guest in their career along with the decisions that they made and how they got to where they are today. 

Alex: 
First time I ever got to be the first time something I created ever impacted a patient. It was a transcatheter mitral valve replacement that that we did at cardiac cue or cardiac. And so we did transfemoral mitral valve replacement, which was like unheard of at the time. 

You know, as one expects, it was a tough case, but we got through it. Phenomenal result. 

And then I came back to the center, I want to say three months later for another case. 

And I remember getting ready to scrub-in and I see this guy and I was like, I know that guy--and I'm in Rome, Italy. I don't know anyone in Rome, Italy. 

And I'm just like, I know that guy. And then I remembered he was the patient. He was our first patient--like my first patient, as well. 

And so I literally just went right up to him and was like, "I am so excited to meet you." And I started talking to him. And then in Italian, he's probably like, 'I have no idea what you just said to me.' 

I'm like, oh, crap. I'm in Italy, duh. 

So I like kind of run around the Cath lab being like, "Do you speak English?, Do you speak English?" And then I found someone, "Come with me." 

And so I go to the guy and I'm like, OK, can can you explain to him? Like, 'I'm the person that made the delivery system that like put the valve in his heart, Like, and we were, you know, and the whole thing was no surgery, right?' 

And so they explained, I can see the guy's eyes like light up and he immediately was like "Grazie, grazie, grazie, grazie" and started telling me through the translator, you know, like, 'I really feel like I got my whole life back. I could barely stand long enough to take a shower. I just finished a road--Like I rode my motorcycle along the coast, like I went out dancing with girls.' 

Classic Italian moment there. 

And so that has stuck with me forever. And I actually have a photo of me with him on my desk that I have kept probably for a decade now. 

Because I think for me, when you're in the weeds of doing the engineering, stuff's breaking, you're trying to make it work... That reminder of 'this is why I do it,' because people like him deserve something better. 
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​And like, for me, that was the moment where I was like, 'Yup, Med tech for life, this is what I'm doing.'