Kurt Anton AMPLATZ

1924 - 2019

Born in Weistrach, Lower Austria on February 25, 1924 and died November 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kurt attended elementary school in Senftenberg and high school in Innsbruck, Austria. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Innsbruck in 1950. After completing his internship at the Krankenhaus St. Poelten he immigrated to the United States for another internship at Saint John's Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Following a radiology residency at Wayne State University School of Medical (Detroit Receiving), he joined the radiology faculty at the University of Minnesota in 1957. He remained there until he retired in 1999. Dr. Amplatz is truly one of the great pioneers in Adult and Pediatric Cardiology and Interventional Radiology. Besides publishing hundreds of scientific papers, book chapters and books and creating a multitude of medical devices, he trained generations of cardiologists and interventional radiologists who then went on to their own careers becoming renowned scientists, teachers, inventors and chairmen of radiology departments nationally and internationally, thereby enhancing the wellbeing of thousands of patients throughout the world. Dr. Amplatz's creative genius did not stop with his retirement. He went on to found the AGA company in 1995 which most notably produced catheter based devices to treat infants and children born with life threatening heart defects replacing the more traditional and often risky surgical repairs. After AGA was acquired by St. Jude Medical in 2010, Dr. Amplatz started another medical device company, KA Medical, which continues today. He has devoted his life for the betterment of mankind. He will be sorely missed by the medical community as well as by people at large. His legacy will live on for many decades to come. Dr. Amplatz is survived by his four children, Curtis, Ria (Maria), Grace and Caroline Amplatz; grandchildren, Alexandra, Nicolas and Anton Gougeon; and long-term partner, Marianne Schulze. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Anton and Maria Amplatz and sister, Maria Lampl of Austria; and his wife, Maxine. A celebration of Kurt's life will be held next summer. Memorials may be directed to: Kurt Amplatz Pediatric Cardiology Research Fund, #23271 University of Minnesota Foundation, PO Box 860266, Minneapolis MN 55486 or The Nature Conservancy MN, 1101 West River Pkwy, #200, Minneapolis MN 55415.