Yhe Geneva Health Forum from May 27th to 29th, 2024, is all about the agenda for a healthier future. Leading experts from politics, science, business and civil society will come together in Berlin to discuss innovative solutions for better health and well-being. Abiomed, one of the world’s leading medical technology companies and a pioneer in the development of innovative heart pump technologies, is also participating.

Cardiac recovery to maintain life quality
For Abiomed, patients come first. Abiomed’s goal is for its core product, the Impella® heart pump – the smallest heart pump in the world – to become the standard of care for cardiac recovery. “We want to help as many patients in cardiogenic shock as possible to keep their own heart – with the same quality of life as before,” says Dr. Thorsten Sieß, Chief Technology Officer of Abiomed and inventor of the Impella® heart pump. The only minimally invasive heart pump approved as safe, effective and performing as intended in Europe, Japan, the USA and parts of Asia and Latin America helps to stabilize and recover the human heart. Depending on the product type, the Impella® heart pump takes over all or part of the heart’s pumping function. In this way, the heart chamber is relieved, the patient’s blood circulation is stabilized and the blood supply to the organs is maintained. Ideally, this relief enables more pronounced regeneration of the heart muscle, which allows patients to enjoy a significantly improved quality of life after their recovery from heart disease. Impella® heart pumps are used both in emergency medicine and for complex coronary interventions.

High-tech made in Germany The Impella® heart pump stands for inventiveness, innovation and, above all, for the benefit of patients. Production takes place in Danvers and Aachen, Germany, where more than 550 pumps per week are manufactured in various assemblies and 43 process steps. Every step requires the utmost care and precision to ensure the vital safety of the product. “Basically, this is a “manufactory”, with a lot of manual work, comparable perhaps to the production of high-precision mechanical watches,” explains Dirk Michels, Managing Director of Abiomed Europe. “Some of the components are so small that work has to be carried out under a microscope. The integrated ‘impeller’, which ensures the blood flow and gave the pump its name, is only a few millimeters in diameter.” To date, more than 400,000 patients have been treated with the Impella® heart pump.

On course for growth
In 2022, the renowned US group Johnson & Johnson took over Abiomed, including the site in Aachen. As an independent subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson Inc., Abiomed has improved opportunities to further advance its medical research, development and expansion. “My dream is that we create something lasting here and that our pump will still exist in 100 years, just like the company itself,” says Dirk Michels.

Watch our Global Health campaign on Reuters.

Corporate Communications EMEA
Christian Pott
Assoc. Dir. Communications EMEA
Abiomed Europe GmbH
Neuenhofer Weg 3
52074 Aachen
Deutschland
Tel.: +49 241 8860-0
Fax: +49 241 8860-111
E-Mail: cpott@abiomed.com

Media Contant
Eloise McKenna
Marketing Coordinator
Acumen Media
e.mckenna@acumenmedia
+44 (0) 20 3553 3664