Vascutek

In 1982, in Scotland, a cardiovascular surgeon and a plumber started a company. The surgeon, Dr. Bill Adam, and the plumber, Dom Ciotola, founded Vascutek. Their goal was to create textile-based grafts to treat aortic disease. This partnership combined clinical insight with practical engineering skills to solve a complex medical problem. The company focused on developing polyester grafts to repair or replace weakened blood vessels, collaborating closely with surgeons to refine their products. Twenty years later, in 2002, the Japanese medical device giant Terumo Corporation acquired Vascutek for approximately $170 million. This acquisition provided Vascutek with significant resources, allowing it to scale its manufacturing and expand its global reach. The company continued to operate from its base in Inchinnan, Scotland, focusing on innovation and exporting over 90% of its products. In 2018, Terumo took another strategic step by merging Vascutek with another of its subsidiaries, the US-based Bolton Medical. This merger created a new, unified entity called Terumo Aortic. The move combined the strengths of both companies to offer a more comprehensive portfolio of products for aortic and vascular surgery, from traditional surgical grafts to modern, catheter-based stent systems. Today, Terumo Aortic stands as a significant player in the global aortic device market, a journey that began with an unlikely partnership in Scotland.