Teguar & LivaNova team-up to support patients

It might be said a healthy bottom line is the most gratifying thing for a business leader, yet for organisations working in the medical sector, saving and improving lives offers rewards that are on another level entirely.

Teguar is a company that builds medical and industrial computers, and its CEO, Jonathan Staub, says one recent project in particular “felt extremely important” – the company’s contribution to the development of the hardware component of the Essenz Patient Monitor, a medical device that is used by clinicians during cardio-pulmonary bypass procedures.

The project saw Teguar working with LivaNova, a global medical technology company specialising in products and therapies for cardiopulmonary bypass procedures. 

LivaNova tasked Teguar with providing the hardware component of  the Essenz Patient Monitor, a medical device  that provides continuous, advanced and insightful data through one centralised screen that can be configured to show the key parameters at all times during a case. 

The Essenz Patient Monitor is currently in Limited Commercial Release in key hospitals in Europe and the US, and will become a central component of LivaNova’s next-generation perfusion system, Essenz, which is expected to be released in 2023 after receiving appropriate regulatory approvals.   “Cardiopulmonary bypass perfusion supports patients during life-saving open heart surgical procedures, by taking over the function of the heart and lungs, ensuring oxygenated blood is continuously pumped in their body” Staub explains.

He adds: “Such a mission-critical touch device cannot be a simple consumer PC. LivaNova needed a reliable medical computer that could survive the challenging environment of an operating theatre.” 

Teguar developed an all-in-one touch-screen PC that met the specifications that all medical electrical equipment have to satisfy, for the safe performance of highly invasive procedures.

But as well as this, Staub says it was hugely important that the PC design was also pleasing on the eye.

“We pride ourselves on the elegance of our products,” he says. “Elegance is an important part of who we are and what we do.”

He adds: “Our unique ability is to understand our customers’ goals and needs and then make these a reality.”

Among the important services Teguar provides is long-term availability of computer components – so vital for healthcare equipment that the customer might not be able to afford to replace it for many years.

The company also has “an experienced and agile” global team that can meet customers' needs, with offices and manufacturing capability worldwide, including in Taiwan, Switzerland, and the USA. 

So what was it about the LivaNova opportunity that drew Teguar in?

“LivaNova's mission is to support perfusionists and their patients during life-saving procedures,” says Staub. The Essenz Patient monitor is the realisation of this mission and was developed entirely by working close to perfusionists to understand their needs and identify how best to address them. 

“That we could be a crucial part of the development of a medically certified patient monitor computer was an exciting opportunity, and a challenge to us.”

LivaNova was also an excellent corporate fit for Teguar.

“Teguar has a global presence and customers in more than 100 countries, “ says Staub. “Working with LivaNova’s multicultural and global teams has been an enrichment, because it perfectly fits with our vision to be globally known as the leading medical and industrial computer design house.” 

During the project, Teguar provided design services to help LivaNova implement the Essenz Patient Monitor design. It also provided a team to validate test reports and to prove the long-term functionality and reliability of the system. 

“LivaNova is an innovative global company that was looking for a partner to design and manufacture a medical-certified computer, which is precisely what we do best,” Staub concludes.

Read the full LivaNova's digital report HERE.