Medtronic Acquires Aircraft Medical

Medtronic (Dublin, Ireland) has acquired Aircraft Medical (Edinburgh, United Kingdom), a developer of handheld high-quality video laryngoscopes.

The all-cash, USD 110 million transaction expands Medtronic's portfolio of solutions for dealing with the preventable issue of respiratory compromise, which consists of respiratory insufficiency, failure, and arrest that dramatically increase the likelihood of adverse outcomes. Aircraft Medical signed an international distribution agreement with Covidien in 2013, which brought their portfolio to the US, UK, Japan, Latin America, and Australia; the purchase of Covidien by Medtronic for USD 43 billion in early 2015 paved the way for the Aircraft Medical deal.

“Aircraft Medical's offerings complement our portfolio, helping us further our commitment to reducing incidents and potential complications from respiratory compromise globally,” said Steve Blazejewski, senior vice president and president of the patient monitoring & recovery business at Medtronic. “The company's laryngoscopes will play an important role in our airways portfolio as we develop and provide meaningful innovations that improve patient outcomes.”

“We are pleased to be joining the Medtronic team as we strive to provide the McGrath video laryngoscope platform to many more patients around the world,” said Matt McGrath, founder and CEO of Aircraft Medical.

The Respiratory Compromise Institute (Vienna, VA, USA) claims that respiratory compromise is the second-most frequent preventable health hazard in the United States, and is responsible for USD 7.7 billion dollars in healthcare costs per year. Aircraft Medical's video laryngoscopes provide improved laryngeal views and more successful first-attempt intubations than direct laryngoscopy among patients with difficult airways, helping to maximize the chance for first-attempt success and reduces the use of multiple devices.

Related Links:
Medtronic
Aircraft Medical
Respiratory Compromise Institute