Biotronik
| Type | Privately held |
|---|---|
| Industry | Medical device manufacturer |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Headquarters |
 Berlin, Germany |
| Key people | Jake Langer, President of the US division |
| Website | Biotronik |
Biotronik (Biotronik SE & Co. KG; Biotronik Worldwide) is a privately-held multinational biomedical technology company headquartered in Berlin, Germany. Biotronik developed the first German cardiac pacemaker in 1963 and pioneered in the creation of remotely-monitored implanted cardiac devices. The company has marketed these telemedicine technologies in Europe since 2000, in the USA since 2001, and in over 50 other countries.
Business focus
Biotronik focuses on medical devices for vascular intervention and electrotherapy of the heart. Its products include pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD), closed-loop stimulation devices (CLS), cardiac resynchronization therapy devices (CRS), leads, catheters, a magnesium bioresorbable stent, measurement and ablation systems for electrophysiology, vascular intervention products for treatment of stenosis and occlusion in arterial vessels, guidewires, balloon catheters, stents and stent systems for coronary and peripheral diseases, and related technologies such as the external devices used to monitor implants.[1][2]
In January 2010, the company announced its first implantation of a "leadless" cardiac monitoring device for continuous accurate detection and recording of cardiac arrhythmias without the need for any electrodes placed in the patient’s heart.[3]
Telemedicine
Biotronik offers an unique system that allows a patient's implanted device to transmit information about the condition of the patient's health, and the state of the device, directly to a secure website where a physician can observe it. The system is highly integrated with a variety of telecommunication technologies, such as landline telephone, cellular telephone, Short Messaging Service (SMS), email, or fax. Depending on the type of device and its programming, which would be determined by the medical necessity in each individual, the pacemaker or ICD could alert a physician immediately in the event of an emergency cardiac event. The physician would have access to the dataflow from the device and could assess the appropriate response.[4][5]
In addition to providing a safety net for individuals with potentially lethal illnesses of the heart, this form of telemedicine allows periodic routine physician review to occur at a distance. Patients who have implants can be monitored as necessary, without travelling to a health care facility. The safety of this approach has been confirmed in a clinical study led by the Cleveland Clinic involving over 1,443 patients enrolled from 105 North American sites. It is the first study to test remote monitoring and rapid detection of symptomatic and asymptomatic cardiac events in a prospective, randomized trial.[6][7][8]
As of the end of 2009, over 230,000 systems using the Biotronik technology have been implanted in heart patients, in more than 55 countries.[3]
History
Biotronik was founded in Berlin, Germany, in 1963 by physicist Max Schaldach and electrical engineer Otto Franke, who developed the first German implantable pacemaker. The company opened its North American headquarters and production facilities in Oregon, United States, when it acquired Stimulation Technology, Inc. in the 1970s. In 1993 Biotronik developed its first ICD. In 1995 the company released a number of devices for vascular intervention such as balloon catheters and stents.[9]
Biotronik's telemetry-based accessible cardiac devices were first implanted in Europe in 2000 and in the USA in 2001.[10] Biotronik claims to be "the fastest growing medical device company globally"[11] and is expanding its global workforce of over 5,000 employees.[3]
Dr. Schaldach died in the crash of an aircraft he was piloting in 2001, and was succeeded by his son, also Dr. Max Schaldach, as owner of the company.[12]
Awards
Biotronik was nominated for the "Deutscher Zukunftspreis" an award conferred by the German Federal President for achievements in technology and innovation. This prize is considered the most important national award for scientific and technological innovations which have already proven themselves on the market.[13]
External links
References
Cite error: Invalid <references> tag;
parameter "group" is allowed only.
<references />, or <references group="..." />- ↑ "Pharmaceutical Business Review". Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- ↑ "BIOTRONIK, Inc. Snapshot". Business Week. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "BIOTRONIK: Unique Leadless Cardiac Monitoring Device Implanted". 6 January 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- ↑ "Unique Leadless Cardiac Monitoring Device Implanted". January 6, 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- ↑ "BIOTRONIK launches its new, unified platform pacemaker series in Europe". THE MEDICAL NEWS from News-Medical.Net. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Citation/CS1/Suggestions' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Citation/CS1/Suggestions' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Citation/CS1/Suggestions' not found.
- ↑ "Our History". Biotronik. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ↑ Versweyveld, Leslie (23 October 2001). "Two U.S. hospitals implant first Biotronik pacemakers with Home Monitoring Technology". Virtual Medical Worlds Monthly. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ↑ "BIOTRONIK Forges Ahead Toward Medtech Leadership Position". Business Wire. BNET CBS Interactive. 1 Sept 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2010. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "OBIT/BIOTRONIK -- Professor Dr. Max Schaldach". Business Wire. All Business.com. 7 May 2001. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ↑ "Nominated for the German Federal President's "Deutscher Zukunftspreis" (German Future Award): BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring for Online Monitoring of Heart Patients". Reuters. 28 Sept. 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2010. Check date values in:
|date=(help)
