Life-Changing Medical Invention is a recently published book that borrows insights from a number of medical innovators to create an introductory handbook on how to develop patentable ideas and build a company. Specifically, the book focuses on the invention of medical devices in the field of anesthesia. It is a pragmatic guide for starting a career in inventive discovery—from product design and marketing to managing a large corporate enterprise.

The author, Dr. John Allen Pacey, brings to the reader a wealth of experience with invention. He is a vascular and general surgeon and has an honorary professorship in anesthesia at the University of British Columbia Medical School. He was awarded that honor because of his contributions to difficult airway management, the most noteworthy being his development of the GlideScope®. Dr. Pacey is also the cofounder of Saturn Biomedical and is ex-president of Verathon Medical Canada.

This 196-page book is currently available in both paperback and electronic format—available for download through the Kindle app. The content is aptly organized into 10 chapters that are further subdivided into three parts. Each section concludes with “lessons learned” or a summary of key points. The text is well spaced and easy to read, with important concepts in bold and/or capitalized type. Several greyscale figures and tables of adequate quality and design are presented to support key concepts.

Part I, Inventors and Innovation: Why Do They Do it?, chronicles several medical inventors and delineates their paths from physician to chief executive officer (CEO). The author’s invention of the GlideScope video laryngoscope and subsequent co-founding of Saturn Biomedical is described in detail. Eight additional medical inventions and their inventors are highlighted. Each segment details the strategies used to produce marketable devices while avoiding bankruptcy.

Part II, Ideas and Their Development, consists of two chapters that cover such topics as idea development, marketing, intellectual property, and patent writing. This section provides practical advice for creating uncontested market spaces through value innovation. Examples from prominent companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Spanx, and Nespresso are provided to illustrate how to create competition-free products and gain a monopoly in the market. The second chapter in Part II focuses on intellectual property and provides the fundamental steps required to pursue a patent, including costs and legal assistance.

Part III, Building a Company, comprises the final four chapters, which cover areas such as hiring, firing, and managing a business team, CEO mentorship, investor involvement, and sales. Sagacious advice is given for financing a start-up company, specifically the advantage of sweat equity and bootstrapping. Informative tips are presented, including strategies to increase the value of a growing company. Readers will learn the essential business skills needed to transition their career from physician to medical innovator and entrepreneur.

Students or physicians wishing to become medical entrepreneurs will enjoy reading this book. Readers will gain confidence in pursuing an inventive career by learning how to build their “idea list” and to evaluate their designs for market viability. Readers are also given tips for selecting co-founders and collaborators. The business concepts are well explained such that individuals with little to no corporate knowledge will feel comfortable with the content presented. In addition, useful reference texts are mentioned throughout the book to supplement the topics presented and to facilitate further reading.

In summary, Life Changing Medical Invention serves as an instructive, general resource for physicians interested in medical innovation. It would also be an excellent textbook for a medical course on product innovation and business development.