Biosense Webster

Biosense Webster operates as a specialized medical technology firm focused on the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. The company's history is rooted in two separate pioneering enterprises. In 1969, inventor Wilton "Will" Webster, Jr., founded Wilton Webster Laboratories. With a background in mechanical engineering from Caltech, Webster developed some of the first practical deflectable tip catheters, often modifying them based on direct feedback from cardiologists. His work was foundational in the emerging field of electrophysiology.

Separately, in 1993, Israeli professor and medical entrepreneur Dr. Shlomo Ben-Haim co-founded Biosense, Inc. Dr. Ben-Haim, with an extensive academic background from institutions like Harvard and the Technion in fields including medicine, biophysics, and engineering, pioneered 3D cardiac mapping and navigation technology. This technology provided physicians with unprecedented real-time, three-dimensional views of the heart's electrical activity. In 1997, Johnson & Johnson acquired Biosense for approximately $400 million and subsequently merged it with Webster Laboratories in 1998, creating the entity known as Biosense Webster. The company now operates as a business unit within Johnson & Johnson MedTech.

The company's business model centers on the development, manufacturing, and sale of advanced medical devices and systems to healthcare providers, specifically electrophysiologists and cardiologists in hospitals and clinics. Its product portfolio is extensive, featuring diagnostic catheters, therapeutic ablation catheters, access products like guiding sheaths, ultrasound solutions, and generators. A cornerstone of its offering is the CARTO 3 System, a sophisticated 3D cardiac mapping and navigation platform first launched in 2009. This system integrates various data points to create detailed, real-time anatomical maps of a patient's heart, which helps guide catheter ablation procedures with greater precision. The system uses electromagnetic technology and advanced algorithms, some incorporating AI, to visualize cardiac structures and catheter locations, thereby minimizing reliance on fluoroscopy. Revenue is generated through the sale of these capital equipment systems and the recurring sale of the disposable catheters and software modules used in procedures.

Keywords: electrophysiology, cardiac arrhythmia, catheter ablation, 3D cardiac mapping, atrial fibrillation, Johnson & Johnson MedTech, CARTO 3 System, medical devices, therapeutic catheters, diagnostic catheters, heart rhythm disorders, Will Webster, Shlomo Ben-Haim, cardiac navigation, radiofrequency ablation, pulsed field ablation, medical technology, cardiovascular treatment, interventional cardiology, arrhythmia diagnosis