The Republic accounts for three-quarters of the total European Union output of catheter-type devices and Galway is responsible for half of that, writes Colm Ward.

Not long ago, medical procedures like heart bypasses and hip replacements were rare and sometimes dangerous. Thanks to advances in medical technology, they have come to be regarded as routine.

In fact, so widespread is the use of technology in modern medicine that very few of us will end our lives without some sort of metal or plastic implant to keep our bodies in working order.

Over the past decade, Ireland has developed a reputation as a world leader in the medical device industry. According to the Irish Medical Devices Association, 13 of the world's top 25 medical devices and diagnostics companies have operations in the Republic, and the sector accounts for more than €3 billion in exports annually.

In Galway particularly, the industry is thriving, thanks to a relatively simple device known as a cardiovascular stent.

As people age, plaque builds up in the heart arteries, which can prevent the flow of blood, resulting in a heart attack. One solution is a heart bypass, where a piece of blood vessel from another part of the body is used to bypass the blockage. However, this requires complex surgery and can be very traumatic for the patient.

An alternative is to insert a stent to unblock the artery. At its simplest, a stent is a metal coil that is placed over an uninflated balloon at the end of a long hollow wire, known as a catheter. This catheter is inserted into a blood vessel in the thigh, for example, and guided up through the body to the blocked artery. The balloon is then inflated, causing the stent to expand inside the artery and clear the blockage. When the balloon is deflated, the stent will then remain expanded, allowing an unimpeded flow of blood in the artery.

This deceptively simple device has many variations and new applications are constantly being developed, such as the drug-coated stent, which releases medication to the affected blood vessel.

The market leaders in this area are multinationals such as Boston Scientific, Medtronic AVE and Abbott Vascular, all of which have large operations on the outskirts of Galway city. Apart from the thousands of people employed directly by these companies, their presence in Galway has also had an important impact on the local economy.

In particular, it has led to the development of a "cluster" of medical device companies in and around Galway, some of which serve as suppliers to these larger multinationals while others have developed their own products.

This has resulted in the region becoming known worldwide as an international centre of excellence for stents and other cardiovascular devices.

"Galway is catheter city," says Mr Ian Quinn, managing director of Creganna Medical Devices, situated in the Parkmore industrial estate on the east of the city, just across the road from the large Medtronic plant.

During the week, thousands of workers converge on the estate, many of whom work in the medical device industry. The buildings in which they work are a far cry from the drab image of the traditional industrial estate. With their brightly painted exteriors, gleaming nameplates and glass-covered staff canteens, many are more reminiscent of a university campus than a business park.

Mr Quinn, a mechanical engineer, originally established Creganna as a manufacturer of electronic components but, about four years ago, a contract to supply Boston Scientific with components for its angioplastic catheters led to the company taking off in a different direction. Now, with a staff of 200, it supplies components to many of the medical device multinationals in Ireland and internationally.

In addition to the 25,000 sq ft plant in Galway, it also has a factory in California and a sales office in Minnesota, the US.

The Galway plant houses a sophisticated manufacturing operation, including a clean room, which uses advanced equipment to ensure that the components produced meet the rigorous requirements of the industry.

The Republic accounts for three-quarters of the total European Union output of catheter-type devices and Galway is responsible for half of that, according to Mr Quinn. This concentration of expertise in the area means there is a strong market in Galway for the skills needed in the industry. It also allows companies and individuals working in this sector to exchange knowledge on both a formal and an informal basis, leading to the further development of expertise.

Still, despite the success of the sector to date, he believes that there is still a need for more indigenous start-up companies in the area if Galway is to match the success of places such as the Bay Area, California, where some 200 medical device companies have been established. "It is still an industry where an individual can think of an idea and bring it to development," he says.

It is unlikely that this cluster of medical device companies could have developed without the presence of two third level colleges in the city. In addition to providing a steady stream of graduates in science and engineering, they have also developed close ties with local medical device companies and often collaborate with them in research activities.

Established in 1999, the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science in NUI Galway was set up to provide a focus for many of the research activities that were going on in the university in the area of medicine and engineering. "We are bringing together scientists, engineers and clinicians all working under the same roof," explains Prof Terry Smith, centre director.

While there is a "significant focus" on research into medical devices, work is also being done in areas such as pharmaceuticals and tissue engineering.

For example, research is under way to develop "vectors" for gene therapy.

These are essentially systems for delivering modified genes to the area in the human body where they are needed. In addition to being unique in Ireland, this will give Galway a "major focus" as a centre for research in Europe, says Prof Smith.

The concentration of medical device manufacturers in Galway means there are numerous opportunity for researchers at the centre to collaborate with them in R&D projects.

It is hoped that this research will also provide a platform from which new business developments can be introduced. "There are lots of people now who recognise that you don't do research just for esoteric reasons and that there has to be some benefit - either social or medical - from it," he says.