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- MEDICAL
- Everest
- Johnson & Johnson
- Smith & Nephew
- CONSUMER
- Dove
- Dell
- First Years
- INDUSTRIAL
- EF Johnson
- Gilbarco
- Motorola
Meaningful Articulation
Ethicon CardioVations, a global pioneer of cardiovascular products, identified an opportunity in the practice of beating-heart bypass surgery – a newer method gaining favor among surgeons.
What is Meaningful to Ethicon?
Creating a best-in-class device and capturing marketshare.
The key to the beating-heart method is stabilization – allowing surgeons to bypass blocked arteries without stopping the heart. Our immersive approach to understanding the needs of this procedure uncovered the requirements for a new device of this type and the process of using it.
What is Meaningful to the Surgery Team?
Surgeons require unencumbered access to the heart and arteries in an environment cluttered with equipment. An extraordinary range of adjustability and stabilization is needed within a minimal amount of space. Understanding the needs of the surgical team drove a number of key design features:
- - Epicardial coupling without tissue damage
- - 360º rotation/tilt to access coronary arteries
- - Visual and tactile feedback by component
- - One-handed operation
We translated these insights into concepts and requirements to develop a technologically advanced industry-first device. The EMBRACE Beating Heart Stabilization System features full 360° rotation/tilt for optimal visualization and access to the arteries on the lateral wall of the heart. We developed a stabilizer that enables one-hand operation to secure the device and limit movement of the heart within one millimeter.
We explored opportunities in mechanical design and built articulating models to demonstrate how locks and adjustment levers could be easily located in a messy surgical environment. Constant feedback is provided to the surgeon during the revascularization process through visual and tactical references. Levers and mechanisms are low profile and positioned in order of importance, requiring minimal force to actuate.
What is Meaningful to Patients?
Eliminating the need to stop their heart reduces rates of post-op complications and death. Patients experience reduced pain, less recovery time and lower costs compared to other coronary bypass methods.
Meaningful Results
The EMBRACE system has been credited as a significant contribution to the medical community and is now a key product in Ethicon’s portfolio.
