Patients First (How Abiomed Transformed a Big Idea Into a Lifesaving Revolution)

A gripping inside account of how a struggling medical device company became a global force in Heart Recovery by creating a culture that put Patients First and transformed the standard of care.

When Michael Minogue became CEO of Abiomed in 2004, the company was running out of cash, chasing the dream of an artificial heart, and facing an uncertain future. In Patients First, the former Chairman, President, and CEO of Abiomed shares how he helped transform that fragile vision into one of the fastest-growing, most profitable MedTech companies in the nation—culminating in a $17 billion acquisition by Johnson & Johnson.

Drawing on lessons learned from West Point, serving in Desert Storm, leadership roles at GE Healthcare, and nearly two decades leading a public company under extraordinary pressure, Minogue offers more than a corporate success story. He reveals the playbook behind Abiomed’s evolution from idea, to product, to company, to culture—and shows how disciplined execution, ethical decision-making, and relentless focus on purpose can change not only a business, but an entire field of medicine.

Readers will learn how to:

• Build a culture where the WHY inspires the employees to adapt, execute, and be obsessed with better results
• Lead and manage through crisis, scrutiny, regulatory complexity, and high-stakes uncertainty
• Bring breakthrough technology and innovation to market while sustaining a winning culture of putting Patients First
• Make principled decisions when employees, shareholders, customers, and patients are all depending on the outcome
• Sustain long-term growth by aligning vision, mission, incentives, and execution

For entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and leaders committed to building organizations that transform their fields, Patients First is a powerful blueprint for dreaming big, executing bigger, and proving that the strongest companies are built on integrity and putting the mission first.