BIOTRONIK and Heartbeat International (HBI) Foundation Conclude Milestone Year by Opening Heart Center in the Dominican Republic

BERLIN, Germany and TAMPA, US, December 2, 2015 – The Heartbeat International (HBI) Foundation and BIOTRONIK announced today the opening of a new Heart Center in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo. Volunteer physicians at the Heart Center will implant donated pacemakers and defibrillators for patients who normally would not be able to afford the cost of these lifesaving devices.

On top of providing the cardiac devices the Santo Domingo Heart Center needs, BIOTRONIK will cover the initial costs of setting up the Center, through a Christmas donation to which the company’s Berlin-based employees also contributed.

The Dominican Center’s opening comes alongside news that HBI is on track to save 500 lives by the end of 2015, with the help of both its local Heart Center volunteers and devices donated by BIOTRONIK. More than a third of this total comes from a new record set by HBI’s Heart Center in St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, which recently marked its 200th implantation so far this year, exceeding the 173 lifesaving implantations performed there in 2014.

“With approximately 500 lives saved in 2015, this year was one of the most successful we’ve had since we were founded in 1984,” said Michael Maniscalco, Chief Compliance Officer of Heartbeat International. “And with the dedicated work of our local Heart Center volunteers and BIOTRONIK’s continued support, we’re looking forward to helping many more patients in 2016 and beyond.”

HBI’s Dominican Republic Heart Center is the first to be set up with the company’s financial assistance, as well as product donations. “We embrace our social responsibility to help ensure that people with severe cardiac conditions have access to the lifesaving therapy they need,” commented Manuel Ortega, Senior Vice President, BIOTRONIK. “As our support to the Santo Domingo Center demonstrates, that commitment is something our employees hold close to their hearts, and we’re looking forward to continuing our collaboration with HBI for 2016 to be another successful year in terms of lives we can save together.”

The oldest recipient of an HBI device in 2015 is 99-year old Dominga Padua from the Philippines. The youngest HBI patient in 2015 is 11-month old baby Dilip Kausalya of Namakal, India. Since 2010, BIOTRONIK has donated more than 5,600 devices to HBI.