Abbott Point of Care’s i-STAT System, a handheld diagnostic blood-testing device, is used in a third of all U.S. hospitals and manufactured in Ottawa, Ontario, in a process involving over 200 precise, quality-controlled procedures

Abbott Point of Care Canada Ltd. manufactures the i-STAT System, which provides real-time lab-quality results within minutes to accelerate the patient care decision-making process. Abbott Point of Care’s Ottawa, Ontario, facility has more than 800 employees. 

Why Ottawa

Abbott Point of Care began operations in Ottawa in 1988, producing approximately 75,000 i-STAT cartridges within the first four years.  By 2005 Abbott Point of Care was producing well over 24 million units yearly and needed a new operations plant.  Abbott Point of Care chose a former Nortel Networks facility as its new production site because the building had the required infrastructure for Abbott Point of Care’s exacting manufacturing processes and provided the required expansion capacity.

Ottawa hosts a thriving life sciences industry and is the nation’s research and development, clinical research and manufacturing hub. The city also boasts a solid base of entrepreneurial companies in the life sciences and cleantech sectors and over 40 research institutes – including the National Research Council.

Under-graduates in health services and graduates in biomedical engineering, bio-statistics, health administration and other life science programs from Ottawa’s two world-class universities (Carleton University and the University of Ottawa) further contribute to the greater, supportive life sciences community. 

Additionally, Ottawa offers a strong and available workforce of engineering graduates and a technically well-educated pool of employees.

Business advantage

Abbott Point of Care’s i-STAT System is used at 1,800 U.S. hospitals – one out of every three hospitals in the country – in emergency departments, intensive care units, operating rooms, as well as catheterization laboratories, out-patient clinics and physician offices. In each of these clinical situations, the capability of the i-STAT System to provide accurate results quickly enables cost effective and more efficient medical care. 

• The i-STAT System accelerates the availability of critical test data required to make rapid triage and treatment decisions – getting results faster improves patient care 
•  Weighing only 18 ounces, the easy-to-use i-STAT System analyzer can provide test results in less than 2 minutes 
• The i-STAT System delivers accurate testing for the most comprehensive panel of bedside tests in the industry. The broad menu of critical care tests include: blood gases, chemistries and electrolytes, coagulation, lactate, and cardiac markers
• The i-STAT System supports the delivery of patient-centric health care with built-in quality assurances that provide the highest statistical confidence and results integrity, backed by customer service that supports system integration every step of the way

Future growth plans

Abbott Point of Care has strong growth expectations as a key element of the industry leader, Abbott Laboratories.  The global, broad-based healthcare and health-related sector, including the manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, is a growing industry. Abbott currently markets products in more than 130 countries and its market share is growing. 

Abbott’s 2007 financial statement shows net sales worldwide of $25.9 Billion – an increase of nearly 30% over a two year time frame. 

Contact information

Abbott Point of Care Canada Ltd.

+1-613-688-5949

www.abbottpointofcare.com

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