Dublin-based Medtronic expanded its ENT portfolio by receiving FDA clearance of its NIM Vital device and acquiring Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Ai Biomed Corp., according to an Oct. 29 press release.
The NIM Vital device is a nerve monitoring system to help physicians identify, confirm and watch nerve function to reduce the risk of nerve damage during head and neck surgery, the release said.
Through the acquisition, Medtronic will add Ai Biomed's PTeye parathyroid detection system, the release said. The device is designed to help confirm parathyroid tissue during thyroid surgery.
"The addition of these two technologies builds on our 20-year legacy of providing innovative solutions that assist surgeons during critical head and neck procedures," Vince Racano, vice president and general manager of the ENT business at Medtronic, said in a statement. "By offering these complementary technologies — the NIM Vital system to protect crucial nerves and the PTeye system to help confirm parathyroid tissue identified visually by the surgeon — we're helping physicians address two of the most common challenges during these procedures."
Read the full press release here.