VASC

Vascular Solutions, Inc.

A maker of medical devices for minimally invasive procedures on blood vessels, this company produced the Pronto catheter and the Vari-Lase laser system used to treat varicose veins. Founded in 1997 by Howard Root, a former lawyer, the firm built its products for cardiologists and vein specialists. Root later fought and won a five-year federal prosecution over the marketing of a device, an ordeal he chronicled in the book "Cardiac Arrest."