Published on January 28, 2010 at 1:26 AM
Abiomed,
Inc. (NASDAQ: ABMD) (“Abiomed”), a leading provider of breakthrough
heart support technologies designed for heart recovery, today announced
a strategic partnership with Opsens (TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE: OPS)
(“Opsens”), a leading developer of fiber optic sensors. Through this
partnership, Opsens’ breakthrough sensor technology will be integrated
into the Impella® catheter to provide robust blood pressure
measurements that can be used to enhance Impella’s performance and
ease-of-use.
“This partnership with Opsens further demonstrates Abiomed’s commitment
to continue enhancing and updating Impella technology and providing
better results for customers”
Impella, the World’s Smallest Heart Pump, has supported more than 1,600
patients in the U.S. and more than 3,000 patients worldwide. Over the
past fiscal year 2010, product enhancements to the Impella have included
a new introducer sheath and a quick set-up software and kit, which have
allowed customers to reduce the Impella set-up time from 11 minutes to 2
minutes.
Through this latest enhancement, Opsens’ fiber optic sensors will be
integrated into the Impella catheter and will allow for further
improvements in set-up time, as well as provide a high-quality pressure
monitoring capability that can eventually be used to help automate the
control and operation of the Impella pump. Unlike current fiber optic
sensors used on other cardiac assist devices today such as certain
Intra-Aortic Balloons (IABs), Opsens’ fiber optic sensor is designed to
provide longer-term accuracy and reliability.
“This partnership with Opsens further demonstrates Abiomed’s commitment
to continue enhancing and updating Impella technology and providing
better results for customers,” said David M. Weber, Chief Operating
Officer of Abiomed. “By integrating Opsens’ technology into our Impella
platform, we can provide our customers with even more calculated control
and insight during their high-risk and emergent procedures.”
SOURCE Abiomed,
Inc.