On October 25, 2024, Medtronic and Philips announced the establishment of a strategic advocacy partnership centered on stroke care. The two companies will work together to raise awareness of the potential health and economic benefits that timely diagnosis and treatment of stroke can bring to patients, families, and society, and further expand and strengthen their partnership with the World Stroke Organization (WSO).

It is reported that this cooperation has three key focus areas, including raising public awareness of stroke symptoms and the importance of timely medical treatment, improving treatment accessibility by increasing the number of hospitals with stroke treatment capabilities and providing training, and using advanced technology to create a comprehensive stroke care system to support early diagnosis, effective treatment, and postoperative monitoring.

01. Focus on stroke care, Philips and Medtronic reach cooperation
It is reported that in this collaboration, Medtronic and Philips will work together to promote awareness of the potential health and economic benefits that improving timely stroke diagnosis and treatment can bring to patients, families, and society.

Medtronic's neurovascular division and Philips will further expand and strengthen their partnership with the World Stroke Organization (WSO). After joining the newly established World Stroke Organization Advocacy Alliance, the two will develop a coordinated strategy to address the burden of stroke. And collaborate with other stakeholders to share the latest research findings, exchange best practices, and drive improvements.

Medtronic stated, "Stroke care is a race against time, and by partnering with Philips, we can help accelerate access to life-saving treatments like mechanical thrombectomy. Together, we advocate for necessary investments in stroke care infrastructure to alleviate the burden on patients and healthcare systems worldwide

It is reported that this cooperation has three key focus areas: firstly, Philips and Medtronic aim to increase their visibility. They hope to promote public understanding of stroke symptoms and the importance of seeking immediate care; Secondly, improving access to treatment by expanding the number of stroke preparedness hospitals and providing training; Finally, we hope to utilize advanced technology to create a comprehensive stroke care system. These systems support early diagnosis, effective treatment, and postoperative monitoring.

Carla Goulart Peron, Chief Medical Officer of Philips, said, "Our new collaboration with Medtronic's neurovascular division and our ongoing partnership with the World Stroke Organization highlight our shared commitment to transforming stroke care. With advanced technology and a focus on collaboration, it's time to take action to ensure that stroke patients receive timely stroke care no matter where they are

02. Medtronic's layout in the field of stroke
In the field of neural intervention, Medtronic is undoubtedly a global leader. According to the "Blue Book of Chinese Medical Devices", the market size of cerebrovascular intervention in 2018 was 4.8 billion yuan, showing a high concentration and foreign monopoly pattern. Foreign brands account for over 80% of the domestic market share, with Medtronic alone holding 60% of the market share, making it a leading company in the neurointerventional industry.

And Medtronic truly entered the stage of global leadership in the field of neural intervention, starting from the completion of the acquisition of Koch Medical for $42.9 billion in 2015, becoming the most anticipated merger and acquisition in the history of medical devices at that time. Covidien acquired EV3, a neurointerventional company founded in 2000, for $2.6 billion in 2010. EV3 is a medical company that focuses on interventional therapies and specializes in the peripheral and neurointerventional markets of the heart. Covidien has developed a series of products including coils, balloons, microcatheters, and micro wires.

With the acquisition, Medtronic has successively introduced various cutting-edge medical technologies and products such as liquid embolization systems, spring coils, intracranial vascular stents, intracranial thrombectomy stents, blood flow guided dense mesh stents, intracranial support catheters, balloons, microcatheters, and micro guide wires.

At present, Medtronic's stroke solutions mainly include the following aspects:
 Treatment of acute ischemic stroke
Solitaire from Medtronic ™ Intracranial thrombectomy stent is a leading technology product in the field of endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke. This thrombectomy stent has the advantages of rapid thrombectomy and blood circulation recanalization, which can quickly restore blood supply to the brain and strive for better treatment outcomes and prognosis for patients.
Between 2013 and 2018, the stent led or primarily participated in up to 12 high-level studies, which confirmed that its combination with intravenous thrombolysis drugs (IV-TPA) can bring better vascular patency rates and significantly improve functional prognosis for suitable patients with acute large vessel occlusion ischemic stroke.

 Treatment of hemorrhagic stroke
Intracranial aneurysm is one of the common causes of hemorrhagic stroke, and it is also a tumor like protrusion formed by localized abnormal changes in cerebral arteries, which is prone to rupture and bleeding.
Blood flow guided therapy is Medtronic Pipeline ™Flex The innovative method of using blood flow guided dense mesh stent to treat intracranial aneurysms involves entering the blood vessel from the femoral artery at the root of the thigh, placing the stent in the segment of the artery where the aneurysm is located, creating a thrombus inside the aneurysm, forming a biofilm at the neck of the aneurysm, and achieving the goal of occluding the aneurysm, so that the aneurysm wall no longer bears the impact pressure of blood flow, thereby reducing the risk of recanalization and rupture. Compared with craniotomy clipping therapy and traditional interventional embolization therapy, it has the advantages of less trauma, faster recovery, and lower surgical risk.

 Post stroke monitoring and symptom support
Reveal Linq ™ Insertable heart monitors can be used to monitor the cardiac condition of stroke patients, as heart problems are closely related to stroke. This monitor is an implantable, patient activated, and automatically activated monitoring system that can record subcutaneous electrocardiograms, helping to promptly detect cardiac abnormalities in patients and provide a basis for subsequent treatment.

 Other auxiliary treatment methods
Embolic protection device: used during intravascular surgery to capture and remove embolic substances, reducing the risk of complications caused by the detachment of blood clots and other substances during the surgical process.

Drug delivery system: provides targeted drug delivery for stroke patients, ensuring that drugs can accurately reach the lesion site and improve treatment effectiveness.

03. Philips is a leader in stroke solutions
In October 2023, Philips announced a two-year partnership with the World Stroke Organization (WSO) based on a shared commitment to providing improved solutions in stroke prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and support. Both parties will leverage their respective strengths to raise public awareness of stroke as a global health issue.

In fact, Philips, as a recognized leader in stroke solutions, has been committed to supporting rapid treatment of stroke while minimizing the impact on patients, including stroke monitoring and communication solutions in ambulances, remote stroke patient assessment, artificial intelligence (AI) technology supporting diagnostic imaging and analysis, image-guided therapy, and neurological and cardiac monitoring and evaluation. At the same time, Philips also has a fully integrated vascular kit system to facilitate mechanical thrombectomy for stroke treatment.

It is worth mentioning that Philips also announced the launch of the Azurion Neuro Biplane system in February this year, further enhancing its Azurion series of image-guided therapy solutions.

It is reported that the new Azurion Neuro Biplane system aims to promote and optimize the diagnosis and treatment process of stroke and neurovascular diseases. It is equipped with 2D and 3D imaging technology to ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment. This system is used in conjunction with Philips' latest Neuro Suite software and services to provide a fully integrated solution for neurointerventional physicians. This solution includes Philips' ClarityIQ low-dose imaging technology and a series of specialized tools and value-added services for neurology, providing unprecedented efficiency, flexibility, and control.

In addition, the new features of the Azurion Neuro Biplane system include enhanced C-arm rotation&imaging angle, 2D to 3D imaging fast conversion device, comprehensive console control that reduces the frequency of leaving the sterile area, automatic beam rotation that directly acquires images of various rotation angles, and a new head fixator that supports enhanced stroke care.

Source: http://qixieke.com/Font/index/detailPage.html?id=3232-19