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Intersurgical Inc.
When Brittany Smith had hip surgery late last year, she was happy to find the hospital was using the i-gel Plus Resus Pack, a product made by the company she works for, Intersurgical Inc., that helps manage patients’ respiration.
“I was excited when I went in and learned that they were using it, and I didn’t have a sore throat [afterward] or anything,” said Smith, Intersurgical’s vice president of marketing. “It was fun talking to the anesthesiologist—he said, ‘You have a great product’—and I trusted that it was used on me, because I know the quality behind it and everything that goes into it.”
Intersurgical specializes in manufacturing respiratory devices, the majority of which are used in the areas of anesthesia, intensive care, respiratory treatment and emergency medical services. “Anything that’s put on your face or anything that would go down your throat, we are probably involved in,” Smith said.
The company is being recognized for two of its most recent advancements: the i-gel Plus Resus Pack and the VT Select BVM (bag valve mask), which help airway management and resuscitation in emergency and critical-care situations.
The company said the i-gel Plus “builds on the success of the original i-gel airway device.” It features an anatomically designed shape that ensures a secure fit without the need for inflation, minimizing the risk of complications such as aspiration, and it works for pediatric and adult patients.
The VT Select BVM is a resuscitation device that allows health care providers to deliver ventilation with greater precision. Its anatomically shaped mask and integrated valve system “ensure safe and controlled ventilation without over-inflating the lungs,” the company said.
Intersurgical is based near London. At the end of 2021, it acquired Indianapolis-based Pulmodyne, which became one of its U.S. subsidiaries.
“They were excited to be taking on some U.S. manufacturing because that was something they didn’t have before,” Smith said. “We filled one of the gaps within their portfolio because they were also a respiratory-focused company as well as a privately owned, family organization.”
Intersurgical has 32 subsidiaries and five manufacturing plants around the world. The Indianapolis operation, which is about five minutes south of the airport, specializes in manufacturing a disposable CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) device and an IV mask used in hospitals. The Indianapolis operation also has a research-and-development engineering team working on new product lines.
“Most of the medical-device companies in our space want to take on a product that’s mostly completed by an inventor,” Smith said. “We like to foster work with the inventor, develop it with them and do all the regulatory work with them, then bring it in and manufacture it to the best efficiency. We’re really proud of that.”•
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