Biotronik
Encyclopedia
Biotronik 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.
s, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
s (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.
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.
), 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.
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.
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.
Biotronik's telemetry-based accessible cardiac devices were first implanted in Europe in 2000 and in the United States in 2001.
Prof. Schaldach died in the crash of an aircraft he was piloting in 2001, and was succeeded by his son, Dr. Max Schaldach, as owner of the company.
Biotronik claims to be "the fastest growing medical device company globally" and is expanding its global workforce of over 5,000 employees.
Business focus
Biotronik focuses on medical devices for vascular intervention and electrotherapy of the heart. Its products include pacemakerPacemaker
An artificial pacemaker is a medical device that uses electrical impulses to regulate the beating of the heart.Pacemaker may also refer to:-Medicine:...
s, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator is a small battery-powered electrical impulse generator which is implanted in patients who are at risk of sudden cardiac death due to ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. The device is programmed to detect cardiac arrhythmia and correct it...
s (ICD), closed-loop stimulation devices (CLS), cardiac resynchronization therapy devices (CRS), leads, catheters, a magnesium bioresorbable stent, measurement and ablation systems for electrophysiology
Electrophysiology
Electrophysiology is the study of the electrical properties of biological cells and tissues. It involves measurements of voltage change or electric current on a wide variety of scales from single ion channel proteins to whole organs like the heart...
, vascular intervention products for treatment of stenosis
Stenosis
A stenosis is an abnormal narrowing in a blood vessel or other tubular organ or structure.It is also sometimes called a stricture ....
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.
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.
Telemedicine
Biotronik offers a 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 (SMSSMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
), 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.
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
Cleveland Clinic
The Cleveland Clinic is a multispecialty academic medical center located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The Cleveland Clinic is currently regarded as one of the top 4 hospitals in the United States as rated by U.S. News & World Report...
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.
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.
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.Biotronik's telemetry-based accessible cardiac devices were first implanted in Europe in 2000 and in the United States in 2001.
Prof. Schaldach died in the crash of an aircraft he was piloting in 2001, and was succeeded by his son, Dr. Max Schaldach, as owner of the company.
Biotronik claims to be "the fastest growing medical device company globally" and is expanding its global workforce of over 5,000 employees.