Share this article Share this article First Patient Receives New Shield Surface Modification, An Advance in Flow Diversion Therapy, at NYU Langone Health DUBLIN, April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), the global leader in medical technology, today announced it has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Pipeline™ Flex Embolization Device with Shield Technology™. Medtronic developed Shield Technology, a proprietary breakthrough in biomaterial science, to advance flow diversion therapy by introducing the first surface-modified implant device which demonstrates reduction in material thrombogenicity, a reduction in the tendency of the surface treatment material to create clots. NYU Langone Health in New York City performed the first patient procedure in the nation with the new device.