SÃO PAULO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 20, 2014-- Covidien plc (NYSE: COV) today officially opened its Covidien Center of Innovation Brazil (CCI Brazil), further expanding its educational and research capabilities in a key emerging market. The CCI will help educate clinicians in Brazil and the surrounding region on the latest medical technology, enabling them to more safely and efficiently perform a variety of procedures that can save and improve patients’ lives.

The Covidien Center of Innovation Brazil in São Paulo features a surgical lab fully equipped for minimally invasive surgeries using electronic and computer simulators as well as silicone models. (Photo: Business Wire)

“At Covidien we’re always seeking to help advance physician capabilities and increase access to patient care,” said Robert J. White, president, Emerging Markets, Covidien. “Brazil is an important market for our global strategy, and this investment reflects our commitment to partnering with Brazilian health care professionals.”

Located in São Paulo, near the Ponte Estaiada, the CCI is the first of its kind in Latin America. The facility offers courses that include mechanical ventilation, monitoring of vital signs, surgical procedures and minimally invasive surgeries.

“By creating the CCI, Covidien is helping fill the gap that currently exists in the education of health care professionals in new and less invasive surgical techniques in Brazil, which can help patients and the region by speeding recovery times and reducing health care costs,” said Ermano Moraes, vice president and general manager, Brazil, Covidien. “In addition to education, our R&D engineers will observe, listen and work closely with health care professionals to uncover opportunities for locally tailored solutions that address unmet needs in Brazil and Latin America.”

The CCI in São Paulo is approximately 3,000 square meters and has the capacity to offer 120 courses and educate 2,000 professionals per year. Features include:

• A surgical lab fully equipped for minimally invasive surgeries using electronic and computer simulators as well as silicone models
• A clinical scenario simulation lab equipped with a human patient simulator (computerized mannequin that bleeds and has cardiac arrests and changes in blood pressure, among other critical situations found in an intensive care unit)
• A laboratory for educating in medical and hospital procedures, with silicone models and equipment for tests and simulations
• The only Anatomage touchscreen table in São Paulo. Anatomage is a revolutionary technology that allows the study of the human body’s anatomy in a virtual patient, combining CT imaging with the traditional operating room experience and delivering unparalleled anatomical images
• A research and development lab to enable health care professionals to directly collaborate with R&D staff
• An auditorium that accommodates 160 people and features a multimedia system for transmitting real-time audio and video of health care procedures and training sessions for partner institutions that include the country’s most renowned hospitals and universities

“The educational opportunities offered at the CCI will benefit patients in a number of ways, including smaller incisions, faster recovery and quicker return to activities of daily living,” said Dr. Michael Tarnoff, global chief medical officer, Covidien. “Increasing the number of clinicians capable of performing minimally invasive techniques will enable better care and better outcomes for patients.”

CCI Brazil will serve as a hub for training health care professionals from throughout Latin America. Worldwide, Covidien has CCIs in Shanghai (China), Seoul (South Korea), Mumbai (India) and Istanbul (Turkey).

To receive information health care institutions should contact Covidien in Brazil (via website www.covidien.com.br), which organizes the educational programs according to the needs of the health care professionals and the institution involved.

About Covidien

Covidien is a global health care leader that understands the challenges faced by providers and their patients and works to address them with innovative medical technology solutions and patient care products. Inspired by patients and caregivers, Covidien’s team of dedicated professionals is privileged to help save and improve lives around the world. With more than 38,000 employees, Covidien operates in 150-plus countries and had 2013 revenue of $10.2 billion. To learn more about our business visit www.covidien.com or connect with us on Twitter.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140820006018/en/

Source: Covidien plc

Covidien
Lisa Clemence, 508-452-4375
Director
Corporate Communications
lisa.clemence@covidien.com
or
Coleman Lannum, CFA, 508-452-4343
Vice President
Investor Relations
cole.lannum@covidien.com
or
Alessandra Oncala do Valle, +55 11 2187-6307
Communications
Covidien Brazil
alessandra.valle@covidien.com
or
Todd Carpenter, 508-452-4363
Senior Director
Investor Relations
todd.carpenter@covidien.com