Vixiar Medical, Inc. announced today that Kevin Thibodeau has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the medical device company, effective immediately.

“This is perfect timing for Kevin to come on board”, said Vixiar Chairman Robert Storey. “Kevin has a strong track record in medical device market development and revenue growth, particularly in building new standards of care and disruptive technologies. Kevin has a stellar relationship with the clinical community and global hospital ecosystem and excels at educating, and collaborating with, users and payers when it comes to pioneering technology. We are at a tipping point in dealing with chronic disease, where the current trajectory simply isn’t sustainable for patients, providers or payers. Readmissions, in particular, place a great economic strain on the system and are proven to increase morbidity and mortality in patients. The opportunity we have in front of us is to improve the efficiency of care, by monitoring patients more closely through the continuum of care and doing a better job at diagnosing problems sooner to allow for earlier intervention. This is particularly true with heart failure, where hospitalizations are so high and where the existing diagnostic solutions are either too invasive, too expensive, or inconvenient. Our mission at Vixiar is to provide solutions that overcome these obstacles and improve care while bringing dramatic cost savings to the system. I can’t think of a better person to lead this effort.”

Vixiar Medical has developed a non-invasive, cost effective and accurate device for point-of-care early detection of worsening heart failure, the Indicor™, based on technology developed at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The device is coupled with a digital health platform that includes a patient app and cloud-based clinical analytics for continuous disease management.

Mr. Thibodeau has spent his career in the medical device and medical information industries, most recently with Vapotherm, Inc., where he led the market development of what has become a new global standard of care in non-invasive respiratory support. “I am excited to be leading Vixiar and building a business that brings such a clear clinical and economic value proposition to the health care system and heart failure patients. The Vixiar solution is a convergence of the best of digital health with a truly unique and reliable diagnostic tool for addressing heart failure.”

Vixiar’s technology was originally developed by Johns Hopkins cardiologist Dr. Harry Silber, with whom the company was co-founded with VIC Technology Venture Development (offices in Annapolis, Boston, Fayetteville, and San Diego). It is a an excellent example of collaboration between private, public and institutional interests, having been a recipient of funds from the Maryland Department of Commerce and TEDCO Innovation Initiative, clinical research from the Johns Hopkins Coulter Partnership and Discovery Funds, the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation and private equity investment. The Company has its business offices in Anne Arundel County, has recruited executives from the State, and is in discussion to establish manufacturing and offices within the city of Baltimore.

About Vixiar Medical™

Vixiar Medical, Inc., develops non-invasive, cost effective devices and systems for monitoring cardiopulmonary diseases, particularly those with significant clinical and economic burden. The Company’s first product, Indicor™, is a handheld point of care device for monitoring worsening heart failure. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, it is a portfolio company of VIC Technology Venture Development.