Business Wire: MSC.Software Becoming the De Facto Standard for Biomedical Device Industry

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MSC.Software Becoming the De Facto Standard for Biomedical Device Industry

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 13, 2001

Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis Used by Researchers to Simulate

Complex 3D Stent Design and Deployment Within the Human Body

MSC.Software Corp. (NYSE:MNS), the established information technology software and services provider helping companies worldwide develop better products faster, today revealed that MSC.Marc 2000 is an integral part of the design and deployment of biomedical stents. Due to the extremely complicated dynamics of biomedical devices and their deployment inside of blood vessels, researchers and medical professionals are now relying on simulation technology to ensure the safety and health of patients. Through work with biomedical device manufacturers such as Medtronic, Guidant, CardioVasc, Inc. and Boston Scientific Scimed, simulation analysis tools developed by MSC.Software have become the de facto standard for the biomedical device industry and a key requirement for FDA approval.

"MSC's work with the biomedical device industry is having an enormous impact on both the companies manufacturing these devices and the patients whose health is improved by have them implanted," said Frank Perna, chairman and chief executive officer of MSC.Software. "There is nothing more critical than knowing with 100% certainty that a biomedical device is structurally sound and that its deployment has been tested and re-tested to ensure the best possible chance of success. We're working hard to help companies manufacture the best products on the market and meet the necessarily stringent FDA approval requirements."

According to Health Research International, the biomedical stent market is expected to increase at an annual rate of 19%, with the total market estimated to reach a value of $1.27 billion in 2005.

To open blocked arteries or veins where blood flow is being restricted by deposits, cardiologists often perform a procedure where a catheter is inserted into a vessel or vein, the blocking material is pushed aside and a sleeve-type device called a stent is inserted to reinforce the vessel. With traditional analysis tools, testing the deployment of a stent within the body is extremely complex, expensive and time-consuming, making accurate predictions of device performance nearly impossible. Nonlinear, finite element analysis (FEA) gives researchers the ability to evaluate the device's performance within a complex, 3D simulated environment, giving them a far more accurate determination of the different factors that may cause the stent to fail. By using MSC.Marc 2000, researchers have been able to cut their testing time from approximately 90 days to three to five days, while meeting FDA submittal requirements and ensuring better patient success rates.

"Simulating the real-world behavior of these types of biomedical systems absolutely requires powerful modeling and analysis capabilities, as well exceptional pre- and post-processing features for building models and evaluating results," said Dr. Svenn Borgersen of biomechanical analysis firm BIOSIMulations Inc. "MSC.Marc 2000 is one of the best overall packages for these types of demanding applications."

About MSC.Software Corporation

MSC.Software (NYSE:MNS) is the established information technology software and services provider helping companies worldwide develop better products faster. MSC.Software's software and services are used to enhance and automate the product design and manufacturing process. The ability to model and test software prototypes has cost-effectively enabled manufacturers to design and build everything from sophisticated aircraft and automobiles to electronic products. Simulating product performance reduces development expenses, time to market and warranty costs, positively impacting customer profitability. MSC.Software is capitalizing on the advantages of the Linux operating system for high-performance computing and the Web in all of its forms. For additional information about MSC.visualNastran, our ASP or Linux initiatives, visit us at www.engineering-e.com or www.mscsoftware.com.