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ow we'll never know if a machine that administers
propofol and monitors vital signs could
have pulled off an amazing vanishing act:
making anesthesiologists and CRNAs dis-
appear from the endoscopy suite. Less
than a year into a limited rollout, Ethicon last month
pulled the plug on its Sedasys computerized sedation sys-
tem with little explanation.
"In line with our strategy to further prioritize our invest-
ments in high growth and strategic portfolio opportunities,
our Ethicon franchise has made the decision to exit the
Sedasys business," says Kristen Wallace, Ethicon's director
of communications.
Ethicon denies safety concerns entered into its decision.
Instead, it was likely a confluence of events that doomed
Sedasys: poor sales forecasts amid a reimbursement land-
scape that would have cut into bundled payments for GI pro-
cedures on the one hand, and job cuts and a restructuring of
Johnson & Johnson's medical device business on the other.
While the company wouldn't release sales numbers, one insid-
er told the Wall Street Journal that interest in Sedasys never
met expectations.
The Sinking of Sedasys
What doomed the much-ballyhooed
computerized sedation system to failure?
Kendal Gapinski
Associate Editor
• ABORTED LAUNCH Less than a year after a limited rollout, Ethicon is pulling its Sedasys
automated sedation system off of the market.
