SynCardia: Enterpreneurship at its best
Nov 10th, 2011 by Karen Lee
One of the companies I consider to be entrepreneurial is SynCardia. SynCardia Systems, Inc. is a private company that was founded to sell the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH). The TAH provides a bridge to heart transplant, allowing the wait time for patients to be extended as it allows a regular flow of blood to vital organs.
Innovation is one of SynCardia’s most obvious traits. To Take this further, they are now researching what they call the Freedom® Driver System (FDS). In the past, the TAH and all its 418 pounds kept patients confined to the hospital. However, the FDS is lightweight and can safely be used by patients at home.
Previously, the market for artificial hearts barely existed, as the human heart was too important and complex an organ to replace. However, as results show, SynCardia is able to provide a substitute. Of course, there was risk entering this market. The reliability of this invention cannot be seen and would have faced skeptical criticism. It is also costly to produce and buy, but as it basically provides a choice between life and death, SynCardia has received high revenue. Collectively, these characteristics depict SynCardia as a very entrepreneurial company.
The SynCardia Total Artificial Heart
Image credits: SynCardia logo, TAH