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Published on: 1/25/2002
Last Visited: 1/28/2002
Dr. Steve Heilman, chief executive officer and co-founder of medical equipment manufacturer Lifecor, Inc. (www.lifecor.com), which last month won FDA approval for the world's first wearable defibrillator, outlined his vision for the company and its projected worldwide rollout of its breakthrough life-saving device in an interview available for Web access.
The interview with Heilman is available for listening at www.CEOcast.com.It will be posted at that site until Wednesday, January 30, 2002.
Before launching Lifecor, Heilman was a founder of Medrad, Inc., which is now part of Schering AG (SHR).A Medrad spin-off, Intec Systems, developed the world's first implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).The ICD business was later sold to Eli Lilly and Company, and in turn became the basis for Guidant Corporation (GDT), a world leader in the design and development of cardiovascular medical products.
According to Heilman, last month's approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Lifecor's WCD(R) 2000 System as the world's first wearable cardioverter defibrillator now sets the stage for Lifecor to enjoy robust growth.
Defibrillators are medical devices that deliver electrical shocks to jolt a heart following detection of irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmia) or other symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest.Currently, patients known to be at risk for sudden cardiac arrest must undergo surgery to have implanted defibrillators installed.In the U.S., there are about 60,000 new implanted defibrillators installed each year at an average cost of about $40,000 per procedure.
Lifecor's wearable cardioverter defibrillator helps patients who may be at a temporary but high risk for sudden cardiac arrest, or those who may not be indicated for an implanted defibrillator.