St. Jude Medical ($STJ) and Zonare Medical Systems will join forces to create a new intracardiac ultrasound device. The companies will use St. Jude's intracardiac catheter device and Zonare's ultrasound technology.
"We are pleased to partner with St. Jude Medical to develop better tools for increased clinician confidence when performing complex electrophysiology procedures," said Jay Miller, president and CEO of Zonare, in a release. "This continues to validate Zonare's exclusive focus on innovative software-based ultrasound and transducer technologies designed to deliver premium image quality in a compact and light-weight ultrasound system."
So far, Zonare has sold 4,000 of its ultrasound systems worldwide. The companies believe that their device will be able to minimize patients' X-ray exposure and reduce procedure time with clearer images of the heart's issues.
- see the St. Jude Medical release