Medical Device Daily Associate

In an obvious bid to provide a more direct line to physicians and other healthcare providers and their patients – something that is being increasingly called for, and most often in the field of cardiology – Cordis (Miami Lakes, Florida), a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, New Jersey), has unveiled plans to develop what it called a “world-class global cardiac and vascular institute.“

The institute is intended to provide physicians and other healthcare professionals with educational and clinical resources to help advance the understanding and treatment of a broad range of cardiac and vascular conditions, including coronary artery disease and stroke.

The company said the institute, to be called the Cordis Global Cardiac & Vascular Institute (CCVI), will also enhance knowledge concerning the management of congestive heart failure, adult cell therapy and advanced cardiac imaging, mapping and ablation. Currently more than 120 million people globally are treated for vascular conditions, Cordis said.

The CCVI will unite current and future training centers around the world, including facilities in China, Europe, Latin America, India, Japan, and the U.S., to encourage new technology and procedure development across vascular, cardiology and electrophysiology areas, Cordis said. The use of a multitude of portable simulators will continue to bring training directly to physicians and other healthcare providers and facilitate education outside of the designated facilities.

Chris Allman, a Cordis spokesman, said that “Prior to putting the institute under one unified umbrella, the individual businesses [of Cordis] were doing their own thing.“ By pulling these all together “it will really make it much more comprehensive and easier for physicians,“ he told Medical Device Daily. “Ultimately, what we want to be is the premiere resource for physician education and training.“

The company said that the multi-faceted CCVI will include global initiatives such as fellows programs, proctorships, professional training and education and the development and use of innovative technology to treat a range of cardiac and vascular conditions. In addition, CCVI will focus on building physician and healthcare provider expertise in emerging markets.

“If you look at the institute as more than just bricks and mortar,“ said Allman, “that's where things like proctorships and fellowships programs and helping provide insight into potential new products and all those types of things“ come into play.

“As patient disease becomes more complex, there is a greater need for comprehensive training and education that allows physicians and other healthcare providers to stay abreast of the latest technologies and treatments,“ said William O'Neill, MD, chairman of the department of cardiology at William Beaumont Hospital (Royal Oak, Michigan). “Cordis recognizes this and has taken a leadership role in forging partnerships that meet this need.“

Allman noted that this new organization also should help foster future increased use of Cordis products. “Certainly as doctors are trained, they tend to continue to use those products on which they have been trained on.“

To help guide the creation of the CCVI, Cordis said it will convene a group of international thought leaders from various fields – cardiology, endovascular medicine, neurovascular medicine, cardiac rhythm management and stroke – as well as international representatives of cardiac and vascular professional and patient organizations, to serve as technical and strategic advisors.

The company said the first global summit of international leaders will take place during this year's annual EuroPCR annual meeting mid-May in Paris.

“Our goal for launching this exciting program is to improve the training and procedure development of physicians and other healthcare providers worldwide,“ said Rick Anderson, company group chairman at J&J and worldwide franchise chairman at Cordis.

“Working with leading societies in cardiac and vascular medicine, we will combine our strength to create the worldwide standard for physician and healthcare professional training and education.“

Allman said that, to his knowledge, he does not believe that the other major cardiovascular companies have such a broad-based institution in place or in the works. “I think that [the CCVI] is unique. I don't think that they have anything as comprehensive. We really do have the breadth of what a physician or other healthcare provider would want to tap into.“

Added Anderson: “As the leader in cardiology and vascular health, we are in a unique position to help physicians and other healthcare professionals to significantly advance the treatment of cardiac and vascular disease.“