Electrophysiology

Business Definition

Boston Scientific’s Electrophysiology business is a leading developer of less-invasive medical technologies used in the diagnosis and treatment of rate & rhythm disorders of the heart.

Background

Arrhythmias are defined as disorders of the regular rhythmic beating of the heart, a common occurrence. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, as many as two million Americans are living with atrial fibrillation (one type of rhythm problem). Arrhythmias can be of little consequence or they can indicate a serious problem leading to heart disease, stroke or sudden cardiac death.

Less-invasive solutions are often preferable to long-term drug therapy in treating arrhythmias, as they have the potential to cure or significantly reduce the symptoms of the arrhythmia without the unpleasant side effects and long-term cost associated with anti-arrhythmic drugs. In less-invasive procedures, devices are usually inserted into the body through natural openings or small incisions and can be guided to most areas of the anatomy to diagnose and treat a wide range of medical problems.

Less-invasive treatment options for arrhythmias include the use of diagnostic cardiac mapping and catheter navigation systems to accurately map the heart’s electrical signals, and ablation catheters that use radiofrequency (RF) energy to render the heart’s abnormal sites electrically inactive, thereby treating the arrhythmia and returning the heart to a normal rate.

Fast Facts

• More than 200,000 RF ablation procedures are performed worldwide every year. Over half of these procedures take place in the U.S., and the market is experiencing double-digit annual growth.
• Boston Scientific is the U.S. market leader in cardiac ablation procedures. Over 80 percent of electrophysiology labs across the United States use Boston Scientific’s EPT-1000® RF controllers, the first temperature-controlled ablation system approved by the FDA.
• Boston Scientific has produced many technological “firsts” in the advancement of electrophysiology:
  • SteeroCath® Bi-directional Temperature-Controlled Ablation Catheter.
  • Blazer® Bi-directional Ablation Catheter with asymmetric curves.
  • EPT-1000XP™ System with the Blazer II XP™ 8/10mm tip Electrode Catheters, the first 100 watt system to gain approval for the treatment of atrial flutter.
  • Chilli® Fluid-Cooled RF Ablation System, featuring the Chilli II™ Catheter and CircuCool™ Pump, the world’s first closed-loop, fluid-cooled cardiac ablation system and the first approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia.
  • Realtime Position Management® (RPM) System, the first integrated anatomic mapping, navigation, and EP recording system.
  • Constellation® Catheter, full-chamber mapping.
  • Ultra ICE™ Catheter, low frequency intracardiac echocardiography.

Looking to the Future

Boston Scientific is committed to advancing the practice of less-invasive medicine. Today, the Company is developing a number of innovative technologies, including advanced modalities for arrhythmia diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices with approximately 25,000 employees and revenue of $8.3 billion in 2007. For more than 25 years, Boston Scientific has advanced the practice of less-invasive medicine by providing a broad and deep portfolio of innovative products, technologies and services across a wide range of medical specialties. The Company’s products help physicians and other medical professionals improve their patients’ quality of life by providing alternatives to surgery that minimize risk, cost, trauma, aftercare and procedure time. For more information, please visit www.bostonscientific.com.