In this rare origin-story episode of Boston Scientific Talks, Boston Scientific Founder John Abele unravels the company's unique journey from its inception to becoming a global leader in the medical device industry. Abele delves into the strategic financial planning and diversified product portfolio that shielded the company during challenging times. He underscores the power of partnerships and educational initiatives in making their groundbreaking technology accessible to physicians. Abele also highlights the company's focus on implementing new ideas and the importance of understanding the evolving needs of the medical community. He shares how Boston Scientific's mission to reduce risks, trauma, cost, and time has improved patients' quality of life and empowered physicians with the tools to revolutionize their practices. Tune in now to hear from one of medtech's pioneers and get a rare glimpse into Boston Scientific's hiring strategy, emphasizing the value of curiosity, understanding generational dynamics, and the delicate balance between competition and cooperation. Thank you to Zeus for sponsoring this episode of Boston Scientific Talks. For more information about Zeus go to www.ZeusInc.com. Thank you for listening to the Boston Scientific Podcast.

In this week’s episode, Anthony Fernando, President and CEO of Asensus Surgical, discusses the company's journey in the field of surgical robotics and its focus on digital surgery. He highlights the need for technology to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and increase productivity in the surgical space. Asensus offers the Senhance platform, a robotic system that incorporates machine vision and machine learning to assist surgeons. They are also developing Luna, an integrated digital surgery solution that aims to provide flexibility and collaboration in the operating room. Fernando shares his outlook on the future of surgical robotics. He also gives some advice for medical device executives who are pondering a position outside of the US. Editorial Director Tom Salemi also unpacks the agenda for DeviceTalks West, giving credit to listeners for helping him choose topic and speakers. Register for the conference at DeviceTalks.com.

In this episode of IntuitiveTalks, Glenn Vavoso, a U.S. Navy Veteran and SVP and General Manager APAC at Intuitive, begins by sharing how his time in the Navy led him on a winding road to medtech and, later, valuable insights into the company's strategic expansion in Asia's medical device market, including a $100 million investment. Also, in the episode, Vavoso discusses the factors that led to Intuitive's transition from a distributor model to a direct selling model, highlighting the importance of being close to the customer and directly involved in the market. He also provides an overview of the attitude and adoption limitations towards surgical robotics in various Asian countries, focusing on Japan and Korea, and his strategy to overcome the obstacles. He further delves into the competitive landscape of surgical robotic systems in Asia, revealing that there are 11 active market-released competitive robotic systems in the region. Despite the competition, he emphasizes that there is more opportunity ahead than behind, especially in top-tier institutions. Lastly, Vavoso also touches on the impact of COVID-19 on their operations, explaining how the pandemic has led to a shift in their approach to customer engagement and remote communication with surgeons and hospital executives. Check out the episode to learn how by focusing on opportunities in China and South Korea, building local partnerships, and utilizing virtual tools, Vavoso has charted a course for Intuitive to increase its reach and impact throughout Asia. Join us at DeviceTalk West this October 18-19 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Visit West.DeviceTalks.com to see our lineup of speakers, panels, and sessions.

In this episode, Boston Scientific Chair, CEO and President Mike Mahoney discusses his journey in the medical device industry, the qualities that make a great leader, and the strategies that have fueled the company's growth. Inspired by his grandfather, a cardiac surgeon, Mahoney initially wanted to become a doctor but ended up pursuing a career in business. Mahoney saw an opportunity at Boston Scientific when the company was struggling. Despite the risks involved, he took on the role of CEO because he believed in his skills and had a long-term vision for the company. Through the efforts of the company's leaders, a strong supply chain team, efficient operations, and a robust innovation pipeline, Boston Scientific has managed to maintain a 14% growth rate in a challenging market environment. Mahoney also highlights the company's focus on interventional medicine, which allows for quick procedures and same-day patient discharges, reducing the burden on hospitals. Mahoney further discusses the company's urology division, which has grown from a $500 million business to a $2 billion business. This growth has been fueled by a combination of organic R&D and acquisitions, creating a wide portfolio of differentiated products. Mahoney further elaborates on the company's diverse portfolio, mentioning the success of their peripheral vascular business and the potential of their diagnostics portfolio. Tune in to this episode for more on Mahoney’s strategies, challenges, and opportunities, offering valuable insights into the company's approach to driving growth and innovation in the medical device industry. Thank you to Resonant Link for sponsoring this episode of Boston Scientific Talks. For more information about Resonant Link go to www.Resonant-Link.com. Thank you for listening to the Boston Scientific Talks Podcast. Subscribe to this podcast on every major podcast platform.

Kevin Hykes, CEO of Augmedics, discusses his journey in the Medtech industry and the development of their augmented reality surgical navigation system, xvision, which allows surgeons to project a image onto a headset display, eliminating the need to look away from the surgical field. The system has been shown to improve accuracy, reduce radiation, and facilitate minimally invasive approaches to spine surgery. Augmedics recently raised $82.8 million in a Series C financing round, which will be used to further develop the technology and expand their commercial footprint. Hykes also shares takeaways and lessons from his past stints as a medtech CEO, including great advice for people looking for their first opportunity. "You need to do it for the right reasons, which I think are the thrill of the chase, the fast pace, the shortened cycle times, the chance to be in the cutting edges of technology in our field." In our newsmaker section, Associate Editor Sean Whooley joins co-hosts Tom Salemi and Chris Newmarker with his report form the American Diabetes Association annual meeting. He shared news from Dexcom, Medtronic, Insulet, Senseonics, Novo Nordisk, Abbott, Fractyl Labs and others. Thanks for listening to this episode of the DeviceTalks Weekly Podcast. Subscribe to this podcast on any major podcast application.

In this episode of DeviceTalks Weekly we’ll talk with Mike Favet, CEO of NeuroPace, about how the company’s RNS technology is helping to transform the lives of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. NeuroPace, one of the pioneers in neurostimulation, has the only FDA-approved neurostim treatment for epilepsy. Favet took over as CEO four years ago from the founding CEO so we discuss his background, the changes he made at the company, and how NeuroPace is building a market for a medical device to treat a disease that typically can be managed only by pharmaceuticals. Mike Favet will be a panelist on a keynote panel about building a neuromodulation market at DeviceTalks West on Oct. 18-19 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Co-hosts Tom Salemi and Chris Newmarker introduce a new formula for the Newmarker’s Newsmaker. Companies mentioned including Philips, Biotronik, Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, GE Healthcare, Depuy Synthes, BD, and many others. Thanks for listening to the DeviceTalks Podcast Network. Subscribe to this network on any major podcast app.

Abbott leaders discuss advancements in cardiac technology like HeartMate 3, emphasizing personalized therapy approaches and improved patient outcomes. The podcast also explores the role of technology in patient identification and administering advanced therapies for heart disease.

Ariel Sutton, general manager of Imperative Care’s stroke business, joins us to explain why she swapped her medical school dreams for the opportunity to wear steel-toed boots and a hard hat as an engineer. Sutton ultimately would marry her love of medicine with her passion for engineering and built a career helping medical device companies of many sizes to build successful programs. Now she’s leading one of the fastest growing neurovascular businesses in the industry. In her new role she’s going to help guide Imperative Care’s plans to target stroke from many different directions, including surgical robotics. Learn more about Imperative Care here. https://imperativecare.com/zoom-stroke-solution/ This week’s episode is sponsored by DeviceTalks West. Registration opens later next week. Go to DeviceTalks.com. Co-hosts Chris Newmarker and Tom Salemi review this week’s Newmarker’s Newsmakers including iRhythm, Medtronic, Illumina, Hologic, Senseonics, and Know Labs. Thanks for listening to this episode of the DeviceTalks Weekly Podcast. Subscribe to the DeviceTalks Podcast Network on any major podcast application.

In this episode of Boston Scientific Talks, Peter Pattison, President, Interventional Oncology, and Liza Davis, VP of R&D, Interventional Oncology, share insights into the acquisition of Obsidio and the integration of its unique gel embolic material technology into Boston Scientific's portfolio. The technology, described as a "conformable solid," offers a unique balance between a liquid and solid embolic, providing physicians with precise control and rapid occlusion during interventional oncology procedures. The discussion also covers the successful transition from FDA approval to commercialization, with Obsidio technology already being used in several cases. Looking ahead, Pattison and Davis discuss the potential for further applications of the technology and its integration with Boston Scientific's new coil products. This episode is sponsored by the Medical Business Unit at TE Connectivity. For more information go to TE.com/medical. Thank you for listening to the Boston Scientific Talks Podcast. Subscribe to this podcast on every major podcast platform.

In this episode of IntuitiveTalks, David Robinson, VP of Multiport Design Engineering at Intuitive, delves into the intricacies of the company's multiport system, a flagship product that has been continuously refined since its inception. Robinson discusses the development of the surgical stapler and the surgical table, two key system components, and highlights the unique challenges faced in designing a robotic surgical stapler and ensuring the surgical table could move in sync with the robotic arms for precise operations. The episode also explores the evolution of the multiport system and how additions like the stapler, vessel sealer, and table motion capability have significantly enhanced the system's functionality. Finally, Robinson underscores the importance of critical feedback from surgeons in driving these improvements and shares his excitement about the future of Intuitive Surgical and the impact of their work on improving patient care. Tune into this episode for a fascinating look into the world of robotic-assisted surgery and the ongoing efforts to enhance surgical precision and patient outcomes. Join us and hundreds of other medtech insiders at DeviceTalks West, October 18-19 in Santa Clara, Ca. Find out more at west.devicetalks.com. Thank you for listening to the IntuitiveTalks Podcast. Subscribe to this podcast on every major podcast platform.