Asalus Medical Instruments was founded in 2009 and is based on the inventions of Mr Neil Warren, Manager of the Wales Institute of Minimal Access Therapy (WIMAT) at University Hospital Wales in Cardiff. Asalus' first three products are innovative new devices that will improve the safety and efficiency of laparoscopic surgery. Asalus intends to commercialise its devices via partnerships with leading medical device companies.
The three products that Asalus is currently developing are:
- A novel smoke and steam clearance device that represents a paradigm shift in the way in which electrosurgical smoke is removed from the adominal cavity during laparoscopic surgery;
- A novel access port that will provide significant benefits over those currently on the market; and
- A novel, multifunctional device for the atraumatic manipulation of tissues and organs.
Patents have already been filed on all three devices.
It is estimated that over 2 million laparoscopic operations per year are now performed in the USA alone and the global market for minimally invasive surgery (MIS) devices and instruments was worth an estimated $12 billion in 2005, and is expected to grow to $18.5 billion by 2011, at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 7.5%.