An affair of the heart: B. Braun has been developing innovative balloon catheters to treat heart disease
Even in this age of medical progress, coronary artery disease remains one of the most common and most serious threats to health. More than five million people across Germany are currently affected by this disease, which can lead to serious heart problems. The principal causes are an unhealthy lifestyle, genetic predisposition, or other risk factors. The disease leads to narrowed and occluded coronary arteries, which results in an undersupply of the heart muscle. This undersupply often results in impaired heart function and can lead to a heart attack.
Up to now, doctors have often been using so-called stentsto treat the disease. The latest generation of stents are drug-coated metal mesh frames which, after they have been implanted, open occluded heart vessels and remain within the human body until the end of the patient’s life. However, their presence often leads to further surgical procedures, which also pose a significant risk for patients.
The company, B. Braun Melsungen AG, has revolutionized this treatment procedure with its innovative drug-coated balloon catheters, “SeQuent DCB” – Made in Berlin. Just like a conventional stent, these new catheters can guarantee a permanent opening of the coronary arteries, but do not use any metal at all and offer a therapeutic approach that dispenses with a permanent implant. A revolution – and a real benefit for patients! Thanks to their innovative features, these advanced products have reduced the risk of repeated interventions by a very large factor. A great invention, which has been developed, manufactured and marketed in the Neukölln district of Berlin.
About B. Braun
64,000 B. Braun employees are working every day to protect and improve the health of people around the world – around 1,000 of them in Berlin. They produce various pharmaceutical products that are indispensable for life-saving operations as well as medical devices thathelp patients with their heart problems. An affair of the heart, in other words, in both senses.
The company can look back on a long tradition: B. Braun was founded back in 1839 and today, as a modern medical technology company, is driving progress in medicine worldwide. The family-run company values its diversity, in which everyone can contribute as part of a large international family.
Since the late 1970s, B. Braun has been present at three different locations in Berlin: The Pharma Plant in Berlin-Rudow produces sterile injection solutions in approximately 500 million plastic and 80 million glass ampoules annually, which are shipped all over the world. The team is very young overall, with an average age of just 39 years.
At the Vascular Systems site in Neukölln, the Center of Excellence for Vascular Medicine, with around 300 employees, develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices for the treatment of vascular diseases, such as cardiac catheters, stents, and vascular implants.
The Aesculap Academy in Berlin-Mitte is committed to the transfer of knowledge in medicine and offers further training courses for medical professionals. With its three locations, the company is one of the largest employers in the medical technology and pharmaceutical sectors in Berlin.
The innovation behind the SeQuent DCB
Today, the gold standard in the treatment of narrowed and occluded coronary arteries is a drug-coated metal mesh frame – also referred to as a stent. The stent ensures that closed vessels remain open so that the heart muscle can be supplied with blood. However, after implantation and successful therapy, the stent remains in the blood vessel for the rest of a patient’s life. This can result in further interventions that might also pose a risk for patients.
The SeQuent DCB drug-coated balloon catheters from B. Braun are revolutionizing this therapeutic approach. Even without an implanted metal mesh, they ensure that damaged vascular areas do not narrow again after successful treatment through a combination of patented medications, and at the same time they do not remain permanently within the body. This can significantly reduce the need to use a permanent stent and therefore also the risk of repeat procedures. Wow!
Working at B. Braun
B. Braun offers a wide variety of jobs and career paths. The company attaches great importance to promoting the personal development of its employees. An appreciative, inclusive, respectful, and equal opportunity working environment is actively promoted. The team works together to aim at long-term success and takes on full responsibility for its achievements.
At B. Braun you can expect flexible working hours, innovative training opportunities, development opportunities and mentoring programs, an agile and open work culture plus comprehensive health management and a company health insurance scheme that will take care of your health and the well-being of your family.
In Berlin, B. Braun has a variety of positions to fill in the areas of production, research and development, marketing, human resources, quality management and much more. Visit the Career page and search for the Berlin location. It will be worth it...
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