Johnson and Johnson 2011 Annual Report Download - page 16

JOHNSON & JOHNSON 2011 ANNUAL REPORT14
“I took her other hand and when I let
it go, the hand just fell down,” he says. He
realized she couldn’t move her right side.
“I knew immediately that my wife had a
severe stroke and that every minute would
count,” Mr. Wecker says. An ambulance
rushed Mrs. Wecker, 64, to the hospital,
where evaluation including an MRI
showed she was experiencing an acute
ischemic stroke, a blockage of an artery
leading to the brain.
The doctor proposed using a new
option, the REVIVE™ SE Device, a self-
expanding blood clot retrieval and removal
device designed to remove blood clots and
restore blood flow to the brain in patients
having acute ischemic stroke. “I said, ‘I
don’t think it could get much worse’ and
asked them to do what they thought would
be best for my wife,” Mr. Wecker recalls.
The minimally invasive procedure took
only 25 minutes, an advantage because
the damage can become more serious the
longer the brain is deprived of blood.
“The patient could have suffered
severe permanent impairment or could
have died,” says her surgeon, Prof. Martin
Bendszus, M.D., Chairman, Department of
Neuroradiology, University Hospital of
Heidelberg, Germany. “But she could move
her body and speak the next day, and left
the hospital one week later. She’s
absolutely fine now—it’s really amazing.”
The hospital now routinely uses the
REVIVE™ SE Device for acute ischemic
stroke. “It’s rare that you experience a
change in paradigms in medicine,”
Prof. Bendszus says. “It’s dramatic.”
SIGNIFICANT NEED
Each year 15 million people suffer stroke
worldwide. Of these, 5 million die and
another 5 million are permanently
disabled. Stroke is the leading cause of
death after heart disease and cancer,
and a leading cause of serious long-
term disability. Hemorrhagic strokes
occur when an artery in the brain bursts;
ischemic strokes, in which blood flow to
the brain is blocked, account for about
90 percent of strokes each year.
The REVIVE™ SE Device is the first
device from Codman & Shurtleff, Inc. for
ischemic stroke and marks a new growth
area for the Johnson & Johnson company,
which is developing additional stroke
products. “This is the beginning of a long-
term commitment to bring forward more
innovations that advance the treatment
of stroke and improve patient care and
outcomes,” says Karen Prange, General
Manager and Vice President, Codman
Neurovascular Business.
The company received European Union
approval for the REVIVE™ SE Device in
February 2011 and launched the device
there in September. While it is not
approved for distribution in the United
States, clinical trials are being planned for
potential future use.
The REVIVE™ SE Device represents the
success of the September 2010 acquisition
of Micrus Endovascular Corporation,
a global developer and manufacturer
of minimally invasive devices for
hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke. It now
operates under Codman Neurovascular,
a global neuroscience and neurovascular
company that develops and markets
products for the diagnosis and treatment
of neurological disorders. Codman is part
of the DePuy Family of Companies, which
has a rich history of pioneering products in
orthopaedic and neurological care.
A fast-growth area, the neurovascular
market is expanding at more than
10 percent annually.
MEDICAL DEVICES & DIAGNOSTICS
Reviving and
Recovering
When Ehrenfried Wecker of Wiesenbach,
Germany, returned home from the bakery
with breakfast rolls one morning in August,
he found his wife, Brünhilde, in bed,
waving at him with one arm and unable to speak.