Aircraft Medical acquires anaesthesia monitoring technology from Morpheus Medical

17 June 2009

Edinburgh-based Aircraft Medical has acquired Morpheus Medical, developer of patient monitoring products. Barcelona-based Morpheus is a leading developer of patient monitoring devices for the anaesthesia and critical care markets.

Morpheus' lead product, the IoC-View, is designed to measure the level of consciousness during general anaesthesia, helping to avoid the risk of patients remaining conscious through a procedure or conversely of receiving too much anaesthetic, impeding a fast recovery.

Morpheus' technology is the first to allow anesthesiologists and critical care professionals to record levels of brain activity during surgery with Symbolic Dynamic EEG, via electrodes and wireless transmission. Research suggests that such monitoring can help reduce the number of patients who experience consciousness during procedures.

In addition, it suggests that patients whose anaesthesia is guided by neuromonitoring have significantly better outcomes in terms of quality of recovery and reduction in post-operative nausea and vomiting.

Morpheus was founded by Erik Webber Jensen, a world renowned researcher in the area of level of consciousness assessment during general anaesthesia. Erik has been involved in the development of several anaesthesia monitors currently on the market. He will stay with the Company in the new position of Chief Technology Officer of Barcelona group.

The acquisition of Morpheus is in line with Aircraft's long-term strategic aim of developing a broader product offering for the anaesthesia and critical care markets. Morpheus' expertise in the area of depth of anaesthesia monitoring devices complements Aircraft's leadership in laryngoscopy, with the McGrath Series 5, a fully portable video laryngoscope.

Matt McGrath, CEO of Aircraft, said: "The acquisition of Morpheus provides us with an excellent platform to expand our product offering in the anaesthesia and critical care markets and is an important step towards achieving our strategic goal of becoming a global technology leader in these markets. We will continue to review appropriate license and acquisition opportunities to achieve this goal, as well as growing our business organically."

Erik Webber Jensen, founder of Morpheus, said: "The combination of Aircraft and Morpheus represents a strong strategic fit for both groups. Aircraft's competencies in leading edge design and engineering complement Morpheus' portfolio and technology. Bringing these companies together greatly strengthens the range of products we can offer to anesthesiologists and critical care specialists."

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