Medtronic plc is a medical device corporation based in Ireland. Due to its 2015 acquisition of the Irish-based Covidien, the firm now has its legal, executive, and operational headquarters in Ireland and its operating headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota.It employs approximately 90,000 people and conducts business in more than 150 countries, with the United States being its primary market.It creates and produces medical devices and treatments.
In 1949, Earl Bakken and his brother-in-law Palmer Hermundslie established Medtronic in Minneapolis as a medical equipment repair facility. Bakken is credited with creating a number of medical technology innovations that are still in use today.
The business grew during the 1950s, creating its own gadgets as well as selling equipment manufactured by other businesses. Bakken created a tiny pacemaker that ran on batteries and could be fastened to the body. An implanted pacemaker was the result of work in this emerging field in 1960. In 1960, the firm constructed its headquarters in St. Anthony, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. In the 1970s, it relocated to Fridley. Two of Medtronic's primary rivals in the heart rhythm industry are St. Jude Medical and Boston Scientific.