Company Overview
ZOLL Medical Corporation, an Asahi Kasei Group Company, develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and monitoring, circulation and CPR feedback, data management, therapeutic temperature management, and ventilation, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, and lay rescuers treat victims needing resuscitation and acute critical care.
The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with operations in the material, homes, and health care business sectors. Its health care operations include devices and systems for acute critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, transfusion, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents. With more than 30,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/.
Corporate Mission
Our mission is to improve resuscitation outcomes by developing and marketing products that deliver:
- Superior clinical performance
- Rapid therapy
- Meaningful information
- Higher user confidence
- Economic value
We will foster a company culture that expects a self-motivated, entrepreneurial spirit, and values each employee.
We will grow by remaining focused, building on our technology leadership, and providing unique high-quality products through worldwide distribution. These products help healthcare professionals, emergency responders, and lay rescuers save thousands of lives each year.
Paul M. Zoll Biography
1911–1999
Paul M. Zoll was born and educated in Boston. He attended Harvard Medical School and trained and practiced at the Beth Israel Hospital in Boston for the remainder of his career. During the Second World War, he and Dwight Harken described the operative removal of foreign bodies, shrapnel, bullets, and other metallic objects from within and about the heart and great vessels. These publications demonstrated the ability to successfully operate on the heart, an intervention that had previously been done infrequently.
In 1950, a presentation at a meeting of the American College of Surgeons, in Boston, about stimulating the sino-atrial node via a transvenous catheter, inspired Zoll to develop a technique for pacing the heart through the intact chest during asystole. With an epochal publication in 1952 he described cardiac resuscitation via electrodes on the bare chest with 2-millisecond duration pulses of 100–150 volts across the chest, at 60 stimuli per minute. This initial clinical description launched widespread evaluation of pacing and the recognition by the medical profession and the public that the asystolic heart could be stimulated to beat; it became the basis for future clinical pacing developments. This technique eventually fell from favor, except in an emergency, because of associated pain and the limited mobility it allowed the patient. It was later revised using larger skin electrodes and longer pulse durations, both of which made the shocks less painful and therefore more acceptable.
In 1955, Zoll described a mechanical technique for "stimulating" the asystolic heart. In 1956, he published a transcutaneous approach to terminate ventricular fibrillation with a much larger shock, of up to 750 volts, and later described similar termination of ventricular tachycardia. His use of an alternating current shock began clinical cardioversion–defibrillation but eventually was replaced by direct current shock, largely for technical reasons.
He eventually became an advocate of patient monitoring in the coronary care unit during periods of increased vulnerability. The first such monitoring facilities used equipment manufactured by the Electrodyne Company, with which he had been long associated. He was briefly involved in the development of a pacemaker to be implanted by thoracotomy, but he and Electrodyne soon ceased its manufacture. He participated in the development of emergency pacing and defibrillation throughout his lifetime, but did not participate in the later development of implantable cardiac pacing or implantable cardioversion–defibrillation, both of which benefited from his repetitive pioneering efforts.
Zoll was a practicing physician throughout his life with a reputation for careful and dedicated attention to his patients, many of whom he served for decades, all simultaneous with his groundbreaking research in bradycardia and tachycardia control. He was awarded the Lasker Award in 1973 and recognized as a Pioneer in Cardiac Pacing by the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE) in 1989.
In 1980, Zoll cofounded ZOLL Medical. His seminal work in electrophysiology, internal and external defibrillation, cardioversion, and external pacing provided the foundation for the company. More than 30 years later, the company culture remains focused on new technology and improvements in care provided by that technology in the tradition of the company’s namesake.
Milestones in History
Major Events and Corporate Milestones
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Paul M. Zoll, M.D.: The Early Research
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1952 |
While Chief of the Cardiac Clinic at Beth Israel Hospital, Paul M. Zoll, M.D., demonstrates that external electrical stimulation of a patient’s chest during cardiac arrest could produce an effective heartbeat. |
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1956 |
Is the first physician to successfully use external defibrillation to regulate heart rhythms in patients. This discovery contributes significantly to the decrease in heart disease mortality. With technical collaborators, Dr. Zoll develops a way to display the heart’s cardiac electrical activity on an oscilloscopic screen. This includes registering each heartbeat with an audible signal, and sounding an alarm at the onset of cardiac arrest. These developments lead to cardiac monitors and other programs found in modern cardiac care units. |
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1960 |
Discovers that external electrical countershock is effective in terminating supraventricular tachycardia and ventricular tachycardia. This procedure becomes widely used in the treatment of these arrhythmias, and is found to be safer than administering large doses of antiarrhythmic drugs. |
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1964 |
Develops a method for long-term direct electrical heart stimulation through an implanted pacemaker. Implanted cardiac pacemakers derive from his technologic breakthrough and are today a major cardiac therapy. It is estimated that more than 500,000 patients in the U.S. today are kept alive by implanted pacemakers. |
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1973 |
Receives the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research, also known as "America's Nobels.” The Lasker Award is for physicians and others whose accomplishments made major advances in the understanding, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of major life-threatening diseases. It is most coveted award in medical science. |
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1977 |
Becomes Clinical Professor of Medicine, Emeritus, at Harvard Medical School. |
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ZOLL Medical Corporation: The Early Beginnings
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1980 |
ZOLL is incorporated by the company’s co-founders including Dr. Zoll, Leigh Stein, and Thomas Claflin. William Bright, Chairman, and Rolf Stutz, CEO, subsequently join ZOLL. |
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1983 |
Company introduces the ZOLL NTP® 1000, a non-invasive temporary pacemaker based on Dr. Zoll’s research. This patented technology provides superior capture rates, better patient tolerance of external pacing, and a clear recognition of cardiac capture. |
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1986 |
The American Heart Association’s National Conference on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiac Care includes non-invasive external cardiac pacing as an adjunct to advanced cardiac life support. ZOLL introduces pediatric non-invasive pacing technology. |
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1988 |
Launches the ZOLL PD 1200™ Pacemaker/Defibrillator/Monitor, the first to combine proven pacing and defibrillating technology in a reliable, easy-to-use, compact unit. The operator can choose between monitoring, pacing, and defibrillation with just the turn of one control knob. |
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1989 |
Introduces adult multi-function electrodes, which provide well-tolerated pacing, effective defibrillation, cardioversion, and monitoring—all through a single pair of pre-gelled disposable electrodes. |
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ZOLL Medical Corporation: An Innovator in Resuscitation
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1992 |
Becomes a public company with an initial public offering of 2.1 million shares, which generates $14.6 million. Releases the PD 1400 Pacemaker/Defibrillator/Monitor, the smallest and lightest device of its kind available for critical patient transport and pre-hospital treatment. The American Heart Association elevates the importance of non-invasive pacing to the initial treatment of choice for certain serious patient conditions (Class 1 for profound bradycardia). ZOLL is the market leader for this technology. The American Heart Association Guidelines strongly recommend, “defibrillators be immediately available to emergency personnel responding to a cardiac arrest,” both in hospital and prehospital settings. It also emphasizes that the most important factor contributing to patient survival is the speed in delivering treatment. |
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1994 |
Receives 510(k) marketing clearance from the FDA for the PD/D 2000 automated external defibrillator (AED)/advisory defibrillator. |
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1995 |
Establishes a subsidiary in The Netherlands. Receives ISO 9001 Certification, essential for marketing products in many European countries. This is an important endorsement of the quality of ZOLL’s products and manufacturing practices. Announces a distribution agreement covering ZOLL’s products in Germany, the largest European market for resuscitation products. Launches ZOLL 1600, the first fully upgradeable and configurable AED/manual external defibrillator. Small, light, and easy to use, the ZOLL 1600 is suitable for first responders, EMTs, and paramedics. The U.S. Navy equips its major surface vessel hospitals and on-board medical facilities exclusively with the ZOLL PD 2000. Introduces the first modular AC power supply/battery charger for hospital devices for use on the ZOLL 1400, 1600, and 2000 family of defibrillators. |
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1996 |
Acquires Westech Mobile Solutions, allowing ZOLL to add software-based information products to its prehospital product line. Makes an equity investment in LIFECOR, Inc., a medical equipment company that makes the LifeVest®, the first and only wearable defibrillator. Introduces the ZOLL 1700, the first fully integrated AED/manual external defibrillator for hospital BLS and ACLS use. Announces the new Base PowerCharger™ 4x4 to address common battery reliability issues. It is the first system in the industry to offer a complete and practical solution for improving the reliability, effectiveness, and cost of battery management. |
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1997 |
Launches RescueNet®, the only complete EMS information management system that helps improve patient care, operational efficiency, and agency compliance. RescueNet, manufactured by ZOLL Data Systems, is used by hundreds of EMS organizations. Unveils a tablet computer-based 12-lead system to help identify the onset of cardiac arrest. |
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1998 |
Introduces the M Series®, the most advanced defibrillator worldwide. The product weighs 11 pounds, and is approximately one third the size and half the weight of any competitive full-featured defibrillator. The M Series is the first to provide a bright, high-contrast display of cardiac rhythms, a critical capability for any emergency unit. |
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1999 |
Establishes subsidiaries in Canada and Germany. Announces the revolutionary Rectilinear Biphasic™ defibrillation waveform, which lowers the energy needed for successful defibrillation and cardioversion. In a unique development, the FDA clears ZOLL’s new biphasic waveform to be labeled as clinically superior to monophasic defibrillators for the conversion of ventricular fibrillation in high-impedance patients and for cardioversion of atrial fibrillation. ZOLL is the first company to have FDA clearance to make such superiority claims since the development of defibrillation in the 1950s. Acquires Pinpoint Technologies to provide a complete information management solution to the EMS market. Introduces “Smart Batteries,” an industry first. Smart Batteries provide users with accurate run times directly displayed on the battery. This development eliminates time-consuming testing procedures and minimizes user error. |
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2001 |
Establishes subsidiaries in Australia and France. Launches the M Series® CCT for critical care transport. The ZOLL AED Plus® is designed in cooperation with the Burlington, Mass. Police Department and hundreds of other first responders and EMS agencies. |
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2002 |
Receives 510(k) marketing clearance from the FDA for its AED Plus and the new CPR-D•padz®. This is the first system to provide instantaneous feedback on the depth and rate of chest compressions during CPR. ZOLL provides an initial grant to help establish the AED Instructor Foundation. The M Series CCT is selected as the defibrillator of choice for the U.S. Military Patient Movement Item Program. The agreement, worth $8.9 million, is the single largest order in ZOLL’s history. ZOLL and LIFECOR, Inc. announce an agreement to sell LIFECOR’s LifeVest Wearable Defibrillator to hospitals for patient use in the United States and Canada. |
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2003 |
Announces a relationship with Advanced Circulatory Systems, Inc. to bring the ResQPOD® Circulatory Enhancer to market. Enters into an agreement with Revivant Corporation to commercialize the AutoPulse® Non-invasive Cardiac Support Pump, a new FDA-approved portable device that automates chest compressions, and increases blood flow to the brain and heart more consistently than manual CPR. The AED Plus wins First Place in Product Design and Development magazine’s prestigious 2003 Engineering Awards Program. |
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2004 |
Establishes a subsidiary in Austria. Renames its Pinpoint Technologies subsidiary ZOLL Data Systems® to better reflect the EMS market. Acquires Infusion Dynamics, Inc., which manufactures a unique fluid resuscitation product called the Power Infuser®. Pediatric capability for the ZOLL AED Plus receives 510(k) marketing clearance from the FDA. Launches CodeNet®, the first complete data management system that solves the problem of hard-to-manage code event data for hospitals. |
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2005 |
Introduces the ZOLL AED Pro® for professional rescuers. ZOLL launches the E Series®, ZOLL’s newest defibrillator designed to meet the specific demands and extreme conditions of the EMS environment (temperature, moisture, and portability). |
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2006 |
ZOLL completes the acquisition of the assets of Lifecor, Inc., a privately owned medical equipment company, which designs, manufactures and markets the LifeVest Wearable Defibrillator. ZOLL launches the R Series®, the first and only “Code-Ready®” defibrillator for hospitals. |
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2007 |
ZOLL receives market clearance for E Series® with Real CPR Help® technology. ZOLL receives clearance to market E Series with See-Thru CPR® technology; functionality helps minimize interruptions in CPR. ZOLL named one of Forbes Most Trustworthy companies in America for the first time. ZOLL purchases the temperature management assets of Radiant Corporation. ZOLL receives clearance to market AED Pro with See-Thru CPR technology; helps minimize interruptions in CPR. ZOLL surpasses $300 million mark in revenues. |
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2008 |
ZOLL marks 25th anniversary. First hands-only CPR AED Plus STEMI solutions offer enhanced transmission technology for 12-lead EKG. AED Pro receives airworthy designation. RescueNet® ePCR suite designated NEMSIS Gold Compliant Software. AutoPulse approved for use in China. LifeVest Wearable Defibrillator exceeds 10,000 prescriptions. R Series Code-Ready® defibrillator awarded highest value score in the U.K. ZOLL and Welch Allyn enter strategic alliance; ZOLL becomes exclusive distributor of Propaq® LT. ZOLL has record annual results. Reaches $398 million in revenues; up 29 percent over previous year. |
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2009 |
First State of Resuscitation Survey ranks bystander CPR, faster patient-to-doctor times, data collection and technology as critical improvement areas for resuscitation. ZOLL is one of only ten companies on Forbes Top 100 Most Trustworthy Companies list for all three years of its publication. LifeVest wearable defibrillator prescribed by doctors at all U.S. Honor Roll Hospitals. ZOLL purchases intravascular temperature management (IVTM™)assets from Alsius Corporation. New R Series BLS and R Series Plus receive FDA clearance. |
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2010 |
ZOLL awarded British Heart Foundation tender for AEDs. Propaq® MD monitor/defibrillator and Propaq M monitor granted 510(k) clearance by the FDA Brazil Ministry of Health awards ZOLL AED contract for the country’s public EMS system. ZOLL LifeVest® Wearable Defibrillator physician prescriptions top 30,000. ZOLL LifeVest Wearable Defibrillator prescribed by physicians at all U.S. News and World Report “Honor Roll Hospitals” for third consecutive year. ZOLL’s resuscitation technology strongly aligned with the new AHA/ERC/ILCOR 2010 Guidelines’ emphasis on high-quality CPR and minimizing interruptions in chest compressions. Swiss Air Rescue, Rega, the first international installation, and PHI Air Medical of Phoenix, Arizona, the first North American installation, of the ultra lightweight Propaq MD Monitor/Defibrillator. Nine SCA survivors saved with the help of ZOLL devices among 50 survivors selected to attend 50th anniversary of CPR celebration in San Diego.
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2011 |
AutoPulse CIRC (Circulation Improving Resuscitation Care) trial concludes successfully; first large scale resuscitation trial to reach a statistically significant result. ZOLL receives Frost & Sullivan 2010 Market Leadership Award for demonstrated excellence in capturing the highest market share the North American external defibrillator market. Physician prescriptions for ZOLL LifeVest top 35,000. PocketCPR® FOR iPhone training app first to support new 2010 AHA/ERC/ILCOR Guidelines. ZOLL launches iPad app for ePCR; EMS teams can now use iPad technology to complete electronic patient care reports. Australia’s NSW Rural Fire Service, world’s largest volunteer fire fighting agency, orders more than 5,000 AED Plus units for state wide initiative. ZOLL honored with 10th successive Omega NorthFace ScoreBoard Award℠ for excellence in technical support and customer service. Welsh Ambulances NHS Trust awards ZOLL largest contract to date for the E Series in the U.K. ZOLL reports record second quarter revenue and earnings. ZOLL reports record Q4 and annual revenues; Breaks the $500 million mark with fiscal 2011 revenues of $523.7 million. |
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2012 |
ZOLL sponsors Latin America's first symposium on therapeutic temperature management X Series™ Monitor/Defibrillator receives 510(k) marketing clearance from the FDA. Asahi Kasei acquires ZOLL for $2.21 billion. ZOLL introduces the first pediatric electrodes that report CPR quality on young children up to eight years of age. ZOLL establishes new Japanese subsidiary Asahi Kasei ZOLL Medical (AZM). ZOLL IVTM™ successfully revives 17 pilgrims from heat stroke during Hajj 2012. |
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2013
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First medical device company to sign a pledge to make patient data available to reduce preventable deaths Receives Shonin approval to market intravascular temperature management (IVTM™) technology in Japan Introduces the Fully Automatic AED Plus®, first fully automatic AED with Real CPR Help® Study reports survival from sudden cardiac arrest more than doubles with ZOLL CPR feedback technology and resuscitation training Wins patent infringement case against ELan Med GmbH Wins 12th consecutive NorthFace ScoreBoard Awards for excellence in customer satisfaction |
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2014 |
Implements HL7 for data exchange between health care providers Achieves platinum status as an AHA Fit-Friendly Company for third consecutive year Hosts first Dubai Sudden Cardiac Arrest Symposium for United Arab Emirate countries Singapore Armed Forces standardizes on the Propaq® MD Wins 13th consecutive NorthFace ScoreBoard AwardSM for excellence in customer satisfaction Expands product portfolio to include ventilation with the acquisition of assets of Impact Instrumentation, Inc., of West Calwell, N.J. RescueNet ePCR achieves NEMSIS Version 3 compliance Acquires Philips InnerCoolTM temperature management business |
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2015 |
Acquires Advanced Circulatory Systems, Inc., of Roseville, Minn., developer of the ResQPOD® Dubai Police Department equips its fleet of luxury and regular patrol cars with the AED Plus® ZOLL ResQCPR System receives premarket approval from the FDA; shown to profoundly increase blood flow to the heart and other vital organs in pre-clinical studies. |
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2016 |
Executive management changes at ZOLL signal stable leadership and steady growth. ZOLL receives market approval for intravascular temperature management technology to treat sudden cardiac arrest in Japan. ZOLL honored for the 15th consecutive year for excellence in customer satisfaction. Eleven caregivers awarded the ZOLL EMT Scholarship in the program’s inaugural year. |
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2017 |
Health Canada approves the ZOLL AED 3™ and the ZOLL AED 3 BLS automated external defilbrillators for marketing and distribution in Canada. ZOLL honored for the 16th consecutive year for excellence in customer satisfaction; only company to achieve the 16-year distinction. ZOLL Hospital Wearable Defibrillator (HWD) receives premarket approval from the FDA. |
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2018 |
Propaq® M selected by U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army as their deployable vital signs monitor ZOLL first company to receive premarket approval from the FDA on its full portfolio of defibrillators Three ZOLL Medical/Bio-Detek employees help save a co-worker’s life using an AED and electrodes made by the company VEST trial shows LifeVest wearable defibrillator reduces total mortality by 36% at 90 days Singapore awards ZOLL save-a-life initiative to install 5,000 AED Plus units in public housing Heroes for Life program launched to honor “unexpected heroes” who have helped save the life of a sudden cardiac arrest victim with a ZOLL AED. Program also recognizes SCA survivors. Respond™ app introduced to improve communication and navigation among EMS dispatchers, crews, and clinical staff. Z Vent™ transport ventilator for pre- and intra-hospital use introduced. Offers full range of ventilation options and is easy to use. Air-Glaciers, a Swiss helicopter company, standardizes on ZOLL’s lifesaving equipment for its aircraft. ZOLL scores Gold Level recognition from the American Heart Association (AHA) for Workplace Health Achievement. |
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2019 |
ZOLL acquires Payor Logic, Inc., a company that specializes in best-in-class accounts receivable (A/R) software solutions for the health care industry. Golden Hour Data Systems, Inc. acquired. Accelerates patient charting and revenue cycle management to the EMS market. ZOLL honored for world class excellence in customer satisfaction for eighteenth consecutive year, the only company to receive this distinction. ZOLL introduces µCor™ (pronounced "Micro Core") Heart Failure and Arrhythmia Management System (HFAMS), new technology to improve the management of acute heart failure patients. First commercial patient prescribed with the system. ZOLL acquires TherOx, Inc., which offers SSO2 Therapy, a new FDA-approved treatment to help the most severe heart attack patients. SSO2 Therapy infuses super oxygenated blood to improve microvascular flow and restore heart tissue to normal oxygen level. ZOLL acquires Mobilize Rescue Systems. Offers interactive trauma system to help bystanders save lives during medical emergencies. ZOLL rebrands Payor Logic solution as ZOLL AR Boost; better reflects the potential impact of this technology on a wider segment of the healthcare market. |
