Vidacare

In 2000, Dr. Larry Miller, a veteran emergency physician, saw a critical need. In trauma situations, when a patient's veins collapse, establishing vascular access for fluids and medication becomes a massive challenge. The answer, he believed, was not in finding a vein, but in going directly into the bone. The concept of intraosseous infusion wasn't new, but a reliable and easy-to-use method was missing. In 2001, Miller co-founded Vidacare Corporation in San Antonio, Texas, to bring a novel technology platform to market. The company developed the EZ-IO, a battery-powered driver that gave clinicians rapid and safe access to the intraosseous space. It looked like a small drill and it fundamentally changed emergency medicine. After receiving its first FDA clearance in 2004, the company quickly gained traction. By 2010, its technology was reportedly used in 90 percent of U.S. advanced life support ambulances and over half of U.S. emergency departments. Vidacare expanded its technology, creating systems for bone marrow biopsies and spinal surgery. The company's journey culminated in December 2013, when Teleflex Incorporated, a global provider of medical devices, acquired Vidacare for approximately $263 million. The acquisition integrated Vidacare's pioneering intraosseous access devices into Teleflex's portfolio, solidifying the technology's place in mainstream critical care.