The Spanish company iVascular has managed to develop 30 medical devices for vascular diseases in a decade.
LHealth technology, fundamental for the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of diseases and for the modernization of the health system, constitutes a very complex and competitive sector in which the Spanish industry is also capable of innovating. An example of this is the iVascular company, located in Sant Vicenç dels Horts (Barcelona).
In a decade it has achieved the milestone of developing 30 medical devices in the field of vascular diseases, the result of collaborative research studies. One of the secrets of this success is iVascular’s commitment to R&D, in which it invests 15% of its turnover, according to Isabel Pérez, from the company’s R&D Department. “Our idea is to continue with this investment trend in this activity, among other reasons, because we want to keep the intellectual property within the company and be able to continue innovating,” she points out.
Techniques without surgery
Currently, the company is focused on vascular disease through minimally invasive techniques that do not require surgery and that cover all areas of the body. “Our objective is the restoration of blood flow in those areas where it has been interrupted by clot formation. In this situation, the tissues that do not receive a blood supply die due to lack of oxygen. As the most well-known result, the process of heart attack or ischemic stroke occurs in the brain, although there are other consequences such as amputation when it comes to the lower extremities ”, he explains.
One of the most innovative lines of work in this field, in which iVascular is innovating, is the treatment of structural heart diseases with devices to prevent atrial fibrillation or with aortic valve replacement, which is inserted through the groin through through a catheter and placed into the aortic annulus to treat heart failure and malfunction.
Another of the innovations is taking place in the treatment of tumors, by means of their isolation with embolic liquids or with microspheres. They are also developing new neuroradiology devices that, in addition to blocking the flow, can aspirate the thrombus.
For Isabel Pérez, the keys to achieving these innovations, in addition to the dedication and experience of the staff, include having all the necessary technologies, thanks to vertical integration. “In the company itself, we have most of the technologies that we apply to our products, such as manufacturing prototypes and 3D printing, extrusion, injection, different wire configurations, internal manufacturing of the polymers that make up the catheters or a parts machining workshop. . The advantage is that at iVascular we can manufacture almost all the components in record time, avoiding the long waiting times of external suppliers”, she details. Laura Jordan. BARCELONA