Boston Scientific ($BSX) is launching an upper GI endoscopic surgical tool just as it has committed to become a founding sponsor of California healthcare incubator The Innovation Lab. The device is the Captivator for endoscopic mucosal resection, a minimally invasive alternative to a surgical procedure that removes part of the esophagus in upper gastrointestinal tract cases. The tool enables the staging and removal of precancerous tissue or early esophageal cancer.
The FDA cleared the Captivator EMR in July 2014. It's useful in detecting Barrett's esophagus, a common precursor to esophageal cancer that's diagnosed in more than 900,000 patients globally every year. About 10% of patients with chronic heartburn will develop Barrett's esophagus. Enabling endoscopic management with this tool is expected to reduce the need for the surgical approach involved in an esophagectomy.
"The Captivator EMR Device provides improved endoscopic visualization, so the resection can be better directed to the area of interest," Dr. Jacques Bergman, professor of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy at University of Amsterdam, said in a statement. "The enhanced view, along with easy passage of accessory devices and the ability to use compatible hemostatic devices to manage potential bleeding and complications may enable a safer endoscopic resection."
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| Captivator EMR--Courtesy of Boston Scientific |
Unlike other EMR devices, the Captivator is expected to offer a better view as well as to be used with accessory devices; it also includes a pathology kit.
To help it get to new, innovative devices, Boston Scientific has become the founding medical device sponsor of the Innovation Lab in Newport Beach, CA, a for-profit incubator run by The Innovation Institute that was founded by nonprofit hospitals to advance healthcare innovation. It gets ideas from the hospital staff and moves them from concept to prototype to end product.
Hospital members include St. Joseph Health, Bon Secours Health System, Children's Hospital of Orange County and Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. In addition to Boston Scientific, Deloitte, Dell and the Cleveland Clinic are also supporters. The Lab invited organizations in specific sectors, including health information technology, IT platform telecommunications, medical device, therapeutic, diagnostic/lab equipment, biomedical and consulting, to become sponsors.
"The Innovation Institute's network of frontline healthcare professionals offers us a vast array of perspectives on areas for innovation within medical product development," said Boston Scientific SVP of Corporate Accounts & Global Healthcare Solutions Mark Toland in a statement. "We see great opportunities to collaborate with the Innovation Lab's members to further develop technologies that improve outcomes and patient satisfaction while driving down the cost of delivering care."
- here is the Captivator EMR announcement
- and here is The Innovation Institute news