Medtronic has announced strategic investments in two privately held companies focused on the development of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) catheter technologies, which provide real-time, high-resolution imaging of the heart during electrophysiology (EP) procedures for cardiac arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation (AF).
Medtronic intends to integrate ICE into the Affera mapping and ablation system to continue building on the differentiated value proposition of the Affera ecosystem, as stated in a company press release.
These investments include Beluga Medical—a premarket-stage company located in California, USA developing a next-generation ICE product—and CardioACC—an early commercial-stage company based in Shenzhen, China. CardioACC received Chinese National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approval for its ICE system in 2025.
“The incredible growth of our business demonstrates the demand for better technologies in EP, and we are leaning into opportunities that support our long-term portfolio roadmap,” said Rebecca Seidel, president of the Cardiac Ablation Solutions business, which is part of the Cardiovascular Portfolio at Medtronic. “ICE catheters are an important component of ablation procedures today, and we intend for our Affera platform to evolve to include this capability. These investments represent another step to support expansion of our leadership position in EP as we work to bring new and innovative technologies to each market.”
“ICE has become a procedural essential in EP, giving physicians real-time visualisation that can support more confident decision-making throughout an ablation case,” said Khaldoun Tarakji, vice president and chief medical officer of Medtronic’s Cardiac Ablation Solutions business. “By investing in ICE technologies, we are strategically positioning ourselves to evolve and strengthen the Affera ecosystem over time, with the goal of continuing to advance integrated imaging and mapping workflows, improve procedural efficiency, and deliver better outcomes for patients.”
Medtronic notes that both ICE catheter companies, Beluga Medical and CardioACC, will continue to operate independently.
