PENTAX Medical
Pioneering Innovations in Endoscopy

Growing global populations, increasing demand on medical care by the patients combined with limitations in healthcare expenditure require closer collaboration between healthcare providers and the medical industry. This has paved the road for new innovative technologies that address these concerns. Therapeutic endoscopic procedures are among the most efficient solutions for reducing the total cost of care for patients and require skilled clinicians and smooth operations to deliver their full potential. With a mission to improve the standard of patient care and quality of healthcare delivery, PENTAX Medical delivers best-in-class endoscopic products and services. For this, they have devised a Triple Aim program which focuses on improving clinical outcomes, supporting healthcare provider and patient needs, and enhancing healthcare productivity. “Any new product developed by us is assessed against Triple Aim needs,” says Rainer Burkard, President, PENTAX Medical EMEA.

To ensure that all their upcoming products and product enhancements are designed to purpose, PENTAX Medical has devised their Blackbox Innovations program, through which the company works closely with their partners and customers by inviting them early into the development process. The IMAGINA platform (www.imaginasystem.com)—one of the first products developed through this program—supports each step of the clinical pathway, from screening to diagnosis towards day-to-day therapy, with state-of-the-art HD image quality. It also provides a user-friendly and intuitive platform with a customizable menu for procedure optimization and on-screen image collection and patient documentation. “IMAGINA contains unique features and benefits developed based on the feedback from clinicians worldwide and connected to the needs of our Triple Aim program,” says Burkard.

Regarding endoscopes, PENTAX Medical recently introduced its DEC™ duodenoscope (www.the-hygiene-solution-that-fits.com) with a unique disposable design to improve standards of patient hygiene, which has been awarded by the prestigious German Innovation Award 2018 for its ground-breaking technology.

IMAGINA contains unique features and benefits developed based on the feedback from clinicians worldwide and connected to the needs of our Triple Aim program

The company has established partnerships with Hitachi to deliver unmatched image quality and state-of-the-art technologies in Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS). This partnership has helped them come up with a dedicated EUS product range that is unique to the market and used by the leading experts around the world. Recently they have launched an entire range of Ultrasound Video Gastroscopes (EUS-J10) (www. eus-j10.com) which is designed to ensure optimized procedural efficiency for both diagnostic and therapeutic EUS procedures, the gold standard for cancer staging. “This is a significant event for PENTAX Medical as it is the first time we have launched a new range of endoscopes simultaneously,” adds Burkard.

Addressing the increasing needs in the hygiene field, PENTAX Medical acquired the majority stake in PlasmaBiotics, a company that designs, manufactures, and markets devices for drying and storage of endoscopes. This acquisition added the PlasmaTYPHOON (www.the-hygiene-solution-that-fits.com) an ultra-fast drying unit for endoscopes, and the PlasmaBAG, a single-use device for active storage with plasma, to the PENTAX Medical range enhancing hygiene management for endoscopic devices.

Organizations face a lot of pressure while when managing a fleet of endoscopes to ensure that maximum number of patients can be examined and treated. One of the critical performance indicators, therefore, becomes the uptime of the equipment. PENTAX Medical manages state-of-the-art facilities that offer swift diagnosis and subsequent equipment repair when required. PENTAX Medical also provides training programs for all members of the clinical, hygiene, and medical teams of their customers. These programs are aimed at improving the longevity of the equipment and avoid unnecessary damage by providing proactive guidance and maintenance tips. They are conducted within the customer’s department or at one of the company’s centers of excellence located throughout EMEA.

PENTAX Medical is continually working on being hospital’s preferred choice in flexible endoscopy systems, solutions, and related products. “With this vision in mind we are constantly working on enhancing our products and services,” concludes Burkard.