Thoratec LLC

Thoratec LLC is a California-based medical device company, founded as Thoratec Corporation in 1976. It operates as a subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories, which acquired its previous parent company, St. Jude Medical, in 2017 for $25 billion. St. Jude Medical had acquired Thoratec in 2015 for approximately $3.4 billion. As of 2014, Thoratec Corporation reported 1,048 employees, and its 2015 pro forma revenue was $517 million.

Thoratec develops, manufactures, and markets proprietary medical devices for mechanical circulatory support, primarily targeting patients with advanced heart failure. Its key product lines include ventricular assist devices (VADs) such as the HeartMate II and HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Systems (LVAS), the Thoratec PVAD (Paracorporeal Ventricular Assist Device), and the CentriMag and PediMag/PediVAS Acute Circulatory Systems. These devices are designed for both chronic and acute heart support.

Thoratec LLC exhibits an active two-way patent litigation posture, primarily centered on disputes involving cardiac assist device technology. The company is recorded as a plaintiff in three cases, where its parent, Abbott Laboratories, has initiated proceedings against Miracor Medical SA at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Concurrently, Thoratec LLC is listed as a defendant in two cases. In one instance, Miracor Medical SA sued Abbott Laboratories, naming Thoratec LLC as a co-defendant, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleging infringement related to left ventricular assist devices, including Abbott's HeartMate 3.

The ongoing litigation highlights a significant patent dispute in the cardiovascular medical device sector. The cases involving Abbott Laboratories and Miracor Medical SA, including multiple challenges at the PTAB, indicate a contest over the intellectual property underlying heart assist technologies.