Originally Published MDDI December 2004

NEWSTRENDS

Agreement Strengthens St. Jude's Cardiology Program

Erik Swain

To expand its atrial fibrillation division, St. Jude Medical Inc. (St. Paul, MN) has purchased Endocardial Solutions Inc. (ESI; St. Paul, MN) for about $273 million. The union of the two companies will strengthen their atrial fibrillation programs. It will also provide improved resources for patients with the cardiovascular disease. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an irregular heart rhythm that affects more than 6 million people worldwide.

ESI manufactures the EnSite system, a computer program that helps physicians treat people with heart arrhythmias. ESI will join St. Jude Medical's AF division. ESI hopes to boost the clinical use of its technology. The technology is used to direct catheters through the heart. The system features a three-dimensional display of the vital organ's chambers.

The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of 2004. In 2003, St. Jude Medical also acquired Epicor Medical Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) and Irvine Biomedical Inc. (Irvine, CA) for its AF division.

Copyright ©2004 Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry