SAN JOSE, Calif., April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC today announced that it filed concurrent patent infringement complaints in the United States International Trade Commission and the U.S. District Court for the District of Northern California against Terumo Corporation and Terumo Cardiovascular Systems Corporation. The complaints allege that Terumo infringes two MAQUET U.S. patents through the manufacture, use, sale, and/or importation of its VirtuoSaph(TM) endoscopic vessel harvesting (EVH) system. The ITC case seeks to exclude the infringing products from importation into the United States and the district court case seeks monetary damages and an injunction.
During heart bypass surgery, the surgeon removes part of a healthy blood vessel from the patient and uses it to create a new blood flow path in the heart. MAQUET Cardiovascular is the market leader in EVH with its VASOVIEW(R) products, which enable a cardiovascular surgeon to remove a patient's vessel less invasively, typically from the leg. EVH has been demonstrated to reduce wound complications, shorten hospital stays, and significantly minimize scarring compared to open harvesting techniques. EVH can help patients regain mobility more quickly, which contributes to their overall recovery and future heart health.
"MAQUET, and its predecessors, have pioneered eight generations of EVH products -- each built on our proprietary technology that delivers demonstrated efficacy, safety, and reliability," said Patrick T. Walsh, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC. "As our patients rely on this technology for quicker recovery after heart bypass surgery, we must defend our intellectual property assets so that we can continue EVH innovation."
About MAQUET Cardiovascular
MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC is a division of MAQUET Medical Systems, part of the publicly listed Swedish group of companies GETINGE AB. MAQUET Cardiovascular was recently formed by combining MAQUET Cardiopulmonary with Boston Scientific's Vascular Surgery and Cardiac Surgery divisions, which includes the products and services of Guidant Cardiac Surgery. The creation of this new organization enables MAQUET to offer a comprehensive array of patient care solutions for less-invasive endoscopic vessel harvesting, off- and on- pump coronary artery bypass surgery, and vascular grafts.
MAQUET has 170 years of healthcare experience, and is committed to becoming "The Gold Standard" for therapeutic medical equipment across the globe. As a market leader, MAQUET offers innovative medical solutions from three divisions: Surgical Workplaces, Critical Care, and Cardiovascular.
MAQUET Medical Systems is headquartered in Rastatt, Germany and employs 4,100 employees, has more than 30 international sales and service subsidiaries, and a network of over 200 dealer distributors worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.maquet.com/ and http://www.getinge.com/.
MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC
