Medtronic 2015 Annual Report Download - page 58

solutions to improve surgical approaches and increase access to care, address economic and clinical
challenges, and advance minimally invasive surgery by minimizing complications, thereby reducing
surgical variability and increasing efficiency.
•Elevating the standard of care for respiratory compromise, a progressive condition impacting a
patient’s ability to breathe effectively. This common, costly, and potentially deadly condition can
affect a patient throughout treatment and recovery if not properly monitored and managed.
•Creating less invasive standards of care in diseases and conditions of the gastrointestinal tract and
lung to enable earlier diagnosis and intervention.
•Expanding access to care in emerging markets to help patients access solutions and technologies that
improve their standard of care and meet each market’s unique needs. The emerging markets represent
the fastest-growing markets in the world. They present a significant opportunity for the Minimally
Invasive Therapies Group. We plan to continue to invest in R&D, infrastructure, and partnerships in
these markets to help more patients get access to better healthcare.
•Continued and future acceptance of advanced and general surgical care products from both physicians and
patients of open and minimally invasive procedures in Surgical Solutions, including stapling, vessel sealing,
and other surgical instruments. Key recently launched products include the Endo GIA Reinforced Reload
Stapler, the LigaSure Maryland jaw laparoscopic sealer and divider, and three additional sizes of the
Sonicision Cordless Ultrasonic Dissection Device and the GastriSail gastric positioning system.
•Continued and future acceptance of Early Technologies, including the areas of GI solutions, advanced
ablation, and interventional lung solutions. Recently launched products include the PillCam COLON capsule
endoscopy, Emprint ablation system with Thermosphere Technology which maintains predictable spherical
ablation zones throughout procedures reducing procedure time and cost, and the GenCut core biopsy system
and the superDimension Triple Needle Cytology Brush, lung tissue biopsy tools for use with the
superDimension navigation system. The superDimension system enables a minimally invasive approach to
accessing difficult-to-reach areas of the lung, which can aid in the diagnosis of lung cancer.
•Continued acceptance and growth in respiratory care, ventilation and airway management, patient monitoring,
and homecare. Key products in this area include the Puritan Bennett 980 ventilator, Capnostream 20p bedside
capnography monitor with Microstream technology, Vital Sync virtual patient monitoring platform, the
Nellcor pulse oximetry system with OxiMax technology and the Nellcor Bedside SpO2 Patient Monitoring
System with Respiratory Rate.
•Our ability to create markets and drive product and procedures into emerging markets. We have high quality
and cost-effective surgical products designed for customers in emerging markets such as the ReliaMax
Reusable stapler, which is reposable (part reusable, part disposable), and the ValleyLab LS10 single channel
vessel sealing generator, which is compatible with our line of LigaSure instruments and designed for
simplified use and affordability.
Restorative Therapies Group The Restorative Therapies Group is composed of the Spine, Neuromodulation, Surgical
Technologies, and Neurovascular divisions. The Restorative Therapies Group includes products for various areas of the spine,
bone graft substitutes, biologic products, trauma, implantable neurostimulation therapies and drug delivery systems for the
treatment of chronic pain, movement disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), overactive bladder, urinary retention,
fecal incontinence and gastroparesis, products to treat conditions of the ear, nose, and throat, and systems that incorporate
advanced energy surgical instruments. Additionally, this group manufactures and sells image-guided surgery and intra-operative
imaging systems. With the addition of the Neurovascular division through the January 2015 Covidien acquisition, the group
manufactures and markets products and therapies to treat diseases of the vasculature in and around the brain and includes sales
of coils, neurovascular stents and flow diversion products. The Restorative Therapies Group’s net sales for fiscal year 2015
were $6.751 billion, an increase of 4 percent over the prior fiscal year. Foreign currency translation had an unfavorable impact
on net sales of approximately $127 million when compared to the prior fiscal year. The Restorative Therapies Group’s
performance for fiscal year 2015 was favorably impacted by the addition of the Neurovascular division, formerly part of
Covidien, and growth in Surgical Technologies and Neuromodulation, partially offset by declines in Spine. See the more
detailed discussion of each business’s performance below.
48