Interventional Cardiology
Business Definition
Boston Scientific's Interventional Cardiology business is a leading developer of medical technologies used to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease and other cardiovascular disorders.
Background
Cardiovascular disease is caused when plaque build-up narrows or blocks blood vessels in the heart. The number of people affected by cardiovascular disease is staggering, with an estimated five million individuals hospitalized for some type of adverse cardiovascular event in the U.S. annually. It accounts for more than 40 percent of all deaths in the U.S. each year, with nearly 2,600 men and women dying of cardiovascular disease each day. It has a severe impact on millions of lives and puts a substantial burden on health care systems worldwide.
Less-invasive solutions are often preferable to conventional surgery in treating cardiovascular disease, as they can significantly reduce recovery time, are generally less expensive, and subject patients to fewer risks than conventional surgery. In less-invasive procedures, devices are usually inserted into the body through 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 cardiovascular disease include the use of balloon angioplasty catheters and stent systems, embolic protection devices, cutting balloons, ultrasounds and imaging systems. These devices are used in a range of interventions including coronary angioplasty and stenting.
Fast Facts
- Boston Scientific interventional cardiology products are used in approximately one million procedures annually.
- Approximately 20 to 30 percent of the one million patients in the U.S. undergoing angioplasty procedures each year will experience restenosis, the growth of neointimal tissue within an artery after angioplasty and stenting. Drug-eluting stent technology is expected to decrease restenosis and reduce the need for additional procedures.
- The FilterWire EXT Embolic Protection System was one of the first products used by the Company in medical simulation training for physicians.
- Boston Scientific's drug-eluting stent system, TAXUS® Express2™, is currently available in the U.S., Europe and other international markets. It has achieved leading market share in virtually all areas it has been approved outside the U.S.
- Boston Scientific's nine-month and 12-month target vessel revascularization (TVR) and target lesion revascularization (TLR) rates are the lowest ever reported in a U.S. drug-eluting stent trial.
- Boston Scientific is the market leader in coronary stent technology and the only company to offer two unique drug-eluting stent products – the TAXUS® Express2™ Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent System and the PROMUS™ Everolimus-Eluting Stent System.
Looking to the Future
Boston Scientific is committed to advancing the practice of less-invasive medicine. Today, the company is investigating a number of innovative technologies, including ones that may restore blood flow to heart muscles damaged by cardiovascular disease using gene therapy or adult stem-cells, as well as replacing aortic valves using percutaneous techniques.
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 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.
