Siemens Healthcare has unveiled plans to strengthen its position in the field of computer-assisted surgery with the acquisition of German operating room system developers, CAS innovations.
A deal for an undisclosed fee has been agreed between the two companies, pending approval from antitrust authorities.
CAS innovations manufactures surgical navigation systems which improve planning for operations, while at the same time making them faster and safer. Its primary focus is on systems for trauma surgery and orthopedics, as well as on interventional radiology. With headquarters based in Erlangen, Germany, the company has 27 employees.
Siemens says the deal will help progress work into developing minimally invasive interventions in the operating theatre. CEO of the special systems business unit, Dr Jochen Dick, said: “Through more intensive integration between our imaging systems and the navigation technology from CAS innovations in the future, we will make the work of physicians easier and open up new possibilities in the area of minimally invasive interventions.
“Workflows will be optimised from planning to therapy control, allowing us to improve the quality of medical care while simultaneously reducing the costs.”
CAS systems will provide the doctor with accurate insight into the patient’s anatomy, and using surgical navigation systems, the surgeon can additionally work out on the computer the approximate path that needs to be taken before the operation.
During the intervention the system shows the surgeon the position of the operating instruments directly on-screen as well as possible deviations from the previously defined route in the body.
CAS innovation’s president, Dr Ralf Petzold, said: “We’ve been following the strategy of innovative imaging combined with navigation technology for quite a while.
“Jointly with Siemens Healthcare we will open up new markets and offer the customer solutions that are tailored to the needs of the daily clinical routine.”
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Joe Fernandez