Vygon Group, a specialist single-use medical devices group, has acquired Italian firm Pilot, which specializes in ECG guidance devices. The financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
 
Through this transaction, Vygon acquired the ECG location and navigation technology of the Pilot TLS product, already marketed by Vygon. It is one of only a few devices that enables precise positioning of the distal tip of central venous catheters, including in patients living with atrial fibrillation.
 
As a result, Vygon will be able to offer its international customers a comprehensive range of intravascular therapies: implantable ports, PICC lines, midlines, and central venous catheters, as well as equipment (Vysion XS ultrasound system and ECG Pilot TLS system) to ensure their safe implantation. The new Pilot TLS system offers practitioners a global solution that is particularly appealing when combined with CT PICC easy catheters with unique proximal trimming, as well as with implantable ports. To connect central venous catheters to the Pilot TLS, Vygon’s product offering includes a Vygocard ECG connector using a saline solution for signal transmission. These products will be available in Vygon’s international markets.
 
“This new acquisition is part of our group’s external growth strategy,” said Stéphane Regnault, CEO of Vygon. “We have been working with Pilot for the last three years. The internalization of its ECG guidance system will enable us to consolidate our offering of intravascular therapies on the international market.”
 
Pilot TLS manufacturing and its future development will be handled within the Vygon group at its production and development site in Medwin, near Montpelier, France, which specializes in active medical devices.
 
The Pilot TLS ECG guidance system is an alternative technique to radioscopy and fluoroscopy, ensuring safe and precise insertion of central venous catheters by confirming the correct positioning of their distal tip at the entrance of the heart. The technique thus reduces the risks associated with repeated exposure to X-rays for patients, particularly children, as well as for healthcare professionals inserting the catheters. Pilot TLS is the only device currently available on the market with a specific mode for patients living with atrial fibrillation, a condition that affects around 10% of the elderly population and up to 28% of cancer patients, depending on the type of cancer. Pilot TLS is one of the only ECG endovascular guidance systems certified for use on all patients, ranging from neonatal to adults.