Full Description

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (Edwards Lifesciences), incorporated on September 10, 1999, is a global player in products and technologies designed to treat cardiovascular disease. The Company is focused specifically on technologies that treat structural heart disease and critically ill patients. The products and technologies provided by Edwards Lifesciences to treat advanced cardiovascular disease are categorized into four main areas: Heart Valve Therapy; Critical Care; Cardiac Surgery Systems, and Vascular.

Heart Valve Therapy

Edwards Lifesciences is a manufacturer of tissue heart valves and repair products, which are used to replace or repair a patient's diseased or defective heart valve. The Company produces pericardial and porcine valves from biologically inert animal tissue sewn onto wireform stents. The core of Edwards Lifesciences' tissue product line is the Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT pericardial valve, including the line of PERIMOUNT Magna valves, the pericardial valves for aortic and mitral replacement. The Company's PERIMOUNT product line include the Magna mitral valve, the PERIMOUNT Theon aortic valve, and the PERIMOUNT Magna Ease aortic valve. The durability of Edwards Lifesciences' tissue valves is extended through the use of its ThermaFix and XenoLogiX tissue treatment processes. Edwards Lifesciences also sells porcine valves and stentless tissue valves.

Critical Care

The Company is a player in hemodynamic monitoring equipment that is used to measure a patient's heart function in surgical and intensive care settings. Edwards Lifesciences' hemodynamic monitoring technologies are often deployed before, during, and after open-heart, major vascular, major abdominal, neurological, and orthopedic surgical procedures. Edwards Lifesciences manufactures and markets the Swan-Ganz line of hemodynamic monitoring products, and the PreSep venous oximetry catheter for measuring central venous oxygen saturation. Edwards' hemodynamic monitoring product line includes the PediaSat oximetry catheter, the first real-time, continuous venous oxygen saturation monitoring device designed specifically for children. The Company also offers the FloTrac continuous cardiac output monitoring system, a minimally invasive cardiac monitoring technology. Edwards Lifesciences has a line of products enabling closed-loop arterial blood sampling to protect both patients and clinicians from the risk of infection.

Cardiac Surgery Systems

The Cardiac Surgery Systems product line offers technologies that complement the Company's Heart Valve Therapy product line including products used in conducting cardiac surgery procedures. Edwards Lifesciences also provides cannula used during cardiac surgery. Edwards' cannulae are used in venous drainage, aortic dispersion, and cardioplegia delivery. The Company's minimally invasive surgery (MIS) product line includes the PORT-ACCESS products, such as the EndoCPB system for minimally invasive heart valve surgery, which comprises soft tissue retractors, venous and arterial cannulae, vent and coronary sinus catheters, and reusable instruments for performing port-access cardiac valve procedures. The Company also provides training to the cardiac surgeons who are performing these minimally invasive procedures.

Vascular

Edwards Lifesciences manufactures and sells a variety of products used to treat endolumenal occlusive disease, including balloon-tipped, catheter-based embolectomy products, surgical clips, and clamps. Edwards Lifesciences' Fogarty line of embolectomy catheters has been an industry standard for removing blood clots from peripheral blood vessels. During the year ended December 31, 2008, Edwards Lifesciences manufactured and sold LifeStent balloon-expandable and self-expanding non-coronary stents. Edwards Lifesciences sold the LifeStent product line in January 2008.

The Company competes with St. Jude Medical, Inc., Medtronic, Inc., Sorin Group, CoreValve, Inc., Hospira, Inc., PULSION Medical Systems AG, Becton, and Dickinson and Co., Medtronic, Inc.