CAE Healthcare has acquired ICCU Imaging and VIMEDIX in order to expand its growing portfolio with a specialty in ultrasound imaging training.
ICCU Imaging specializes in developing cutting-edge multimedia educative material and offering practical and easy-to-use educational solutions to help medical providers perform a focused bedside ultrasound examination. VIMEDIX specializes in developing advanced echographic simulation training and has begun marketing a virtual reality animated transthoracic echocardiography simulator.
"These bolt-on acquisitions are an important step in the growth of CAE Healthcare. By combining the expertise of ICCU Imaging and VIMEDIX with CAE's training, simulation and modelling know-how, CAE Healthcare will be able to offer a complete solution for ultrasound imaging training, including e-learning, bedside ultrasound seminars and medical simulators," said CAE Healthcare President Guillaume Hervé. "ICCU Imaging and VIMEDIX are first-class operations. It is a pleasure to welcome their leaders, recognized as worldwide experts in their fields, Dr. Yanick Beaulieu, President and founder of ICCU Imaging and Dr. Robert Amyot, CEO and President of VIMEDIX, to the CAE Healthcare team."
The underlying imaging market, which drives the need for realistic training, is experiencing rapid growth, particularly because of the proliferation of handheld and portable devices. Those units enable a larger population of healthcare practitioners to perform diagnostic procedures and evaluations, which historically could only be done by medical imaging specialists.
"Bringing ultrasound imaging technology at the bedside is as big a revolution as the advent of the stethoscope 200 years ago," said Dr. Yanick Beaulieu, M.D., director of the bedside ultrasound curriculum at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal and founder of ICCU. "Today's ultrasound imaging machines are small and portable and they reduce associated risk of many invasive procedures. One of the greatest challenges faced by critical care physicians in widely adopting ultrasound is the requirement for widespread ultrasound education in order to reach proficiency and ensure safety."
"We are very enthusiastic about joining the CAE Healthcare team," added Dr. Robert Amyot, M.D., cardiologist at the Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur and founder of VIMEDIX. "By combining our healthcare educational experience with CAE's 60 years of world-leading experience in simulation-based training, I am convinced we will develop together innovative life-saving and life-enhancing tools."
About ICCU Imaging
ICCU (Innovative Critical Care Ultrasonography) Imaging was founded in 2005 by Dr. Yanick Beaulieu, a cardiologist-echocardiographer and intensivist at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur and an Assistant Professor of the University of Montreal's Department of Medicine. The Montreal-based company provides multimedia educative material, in both didactic and practical formats. It has also developed unique e-learning courses covering all important aspects of critical care ultrasound that provide participants with cognitive skills and knowledge. www.iccuimaging.ca
About VIMEDIX
VIMEDIX was founded in 2007 in Montreal and offers a cutting-edge, animated transthoracic echocardiography simulator which allows healthcare professionals to derive a highly realistic echo experience, increasing hand-eye coordination and probe handling while improving pathology recognition skills. VIMEDIX's original approach and innovative technology derive from the unique combination of expert software creators, biomedical engineers and physicians involved in teaching and clinical research. VIMEDIX's President and CEO, Dr. Robert Amyot is a cardiologist at the Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur and Associate Professor of the University of Montreal's Department of Medicine. www.vimedix.com
About CAE Healthcare
CAE Healthcare is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CAE (NYSE: CAE; TSX: CAE). CAE Healthcare is applying CAE's training, simulation and modelling know-how from aviation to bring best practices to healthcare. It is developing cutting-edge learning tools and innovative simulation solutions for healthcare education with the objective of offering healthcare professionals the opportunity to develop practical experience on multiple simulation platforms before testing their skills on patients. The ultimate goal is to improve clinical competence and expertise and enhance the quality and safety of patient care and the efficiency of healthcare systems. www.cae.com/healthcare
CAE (NYSE: CAE; TSX: CAE) is a world leader in providing simulation and modelling technologies and integrated training solutions for the civil aviation industry and defence forces around the globe. With annual revenues exceeding C$1.6 billion, CAE employs more than 6,500 people at more than 90 sites and training locations in 20 countries. The company has the largest installed base of civil and military full-flight simulators and training devices. Through its global network of 29 civil aviation and military training centres, it trains more than 75,000 crewmembers yearly. CAE also offers modelling and simulation software to various market segments and, through CAE's professional services division, assists customers with a wide range of simulation-based needs. www.cae.com.
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CAE contacts:
Nathalie Bourque, Vice President, Public Affairs and Global Communications, (514) 734-5788, [email protected]
Investor relations: Andrew Arnovitz, Vice President, Investor Relations and Strategy,
(514) 734-5760, [email protected]
