George D. LeMaitre

LeMaitre Vascular is a provider of devices, implants and human tissue cryopreservation services used by surgeons in the treatment of vascular conditions, particularly peripheral vascular disease.Headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, LeMaitre Vascular sells directly to hospitals in 22 countries and through distributors in more than 60 countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia/Pacific Rim.

The company was founded in 1983 by George D. LeMaitre, M.D., a practicing vascular surgeon who wasn’t satisfied with the in situ devices that were available to him. He worked with an engineer to design a new device himself. His first patented creation was a type of valvulotome that could be used by a surgeon to cut valves in peripheral veins without the requirement of direct vision. As a result, the surgeon could prepare veins for arterial bypass with smaller incisions and less tissue trauma. Dr. LeMaitre was so pleased with the success of his new device that he started a company to introduce the LeMaitre Valvulotome to his colleagues. In the ensuing years, Dr. LeMaitre’s son, George W. LeMaitre, joined the company and helped grow it from a family-owned company to a publicly held global corporation.

Today, in addition to the most recent generation of Dr. LeMaitre’s original valvulotome, LeMaitre Vascular develops, manufactures and markets disposable and implantable vascular devices for use in both open vascular surgeries and minimally invasive procedures. As a result of the company’s research and subsequent development of new vascular devices, as well as various acquisitions, LeMaitre Vascular’s product portfolio includes brand name products used by surgeons in arteries and veins outside the heart.