Overview
Medtronic is the world leader in medical technology, providing lifelong solutions for people with chronic disease. We offer products, therapies, and services that enhance or extend the lives of millions of people. Each year, 6 million patients benefit from Medtronic's technology, used to treat conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, neurological disorders, and vascular illnesses. Medtronic provides medical technology to address the following health challenges:
Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management
Manages the full spectrum of cardiac rhythm disorders to improve long-term patient care, including pacemakers to treat patients with bradycardia (too-slow heartbeat); implantable defibrillators to help patients with tachyarrhythmia (too-fast heartbeat); and diagnostic and monitoring innovations that diagnose heart-related syncope (unexplained fainting).
Neuromodulation
Offers innovative therapies for chronic pain, movement disorders, spasticity, overactive bladder and urinary retention, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and gastroparesis.
Spinal and Biologics
Offers products that treat a variety of disorders of the cranium and spine, including traumatically induced conditions, deformities, and tumors. Medtronic has developed a variety of image-guided surgical navigation systems and distinguished itself as a global leader in less-invasive surgical techniques.
Diabetes
Offers insulin pump therapy, continuous glucose monitoring systems, related disposable products, and diabetes management software, making Medtronic a world leader in diabetes management.
CardioVascular
Develops products that are used throughout the vascular system and those used for arrested and beating heart bypass surgery. These products include coronary, peripheral and neurovascular stents, stent graft systems for diseases and conditions throughout the aorta, and distal protection systems.
Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT)
Develops and manufactures minimally invasive products and techniques that treat a wide range of ENT abnormalities and conditions.
Neurologic Technologies
Produces many technologies, surgical devices and implantable products that enhance the treatment of cranial, spinal, and specialty small bone conditions.
Medtronic's operations in sub-Saharan Africa are based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Medtronic Foundation MedLink Program
The goal of the Medtronic Foundation is to improve the health of people and communities by focusing on three areas where the company can make unique and positive contributions: health, education, and community. One of the Foundation's global programs is MedLink , which seeks to break down barriers to quality health care by making grants that support educating health professionals in regions with critical health needs. The program focuses on capacity building, “train the trainer,” and centers of excellence models. In addition, the Foundation is examining how it can support programs that highlight prevention and education of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and related matters.
The program operates in Brazil, China, the Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Japan, Poland, Russia, and South Africa. One of the Medtronic Foundation's grantees under the MedLink program is the Soweto Cardiovascular Research Unit (SOCRU) in Soweto, South Africa. The grant enables nurses to teach people how to recognize and treat heart failure. SOCRU focuses on research in cardiovascular diseases that are commonly found in Southern Africa.
The unit is based at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and researches heart disease in patients that visit the hospital's Cardiac Clinic, which sees approximately 9,000 patients per year. SOCRU is funded primarily by the University of theWitwatersrand and receives projects grants from the South African Medical Research Council, the Circulatory Disorder Research Fund, and the private sector, including Bayer, Pfizer, and Medtronic. Tiger Brands is currently sponsoring a R1-million upgrade of the cardiac clinic under its Unite for Health Programme.
