Reading time: 4 min
Date of first publication: 24.04.2023
For 40 years, we have been developing and manufacturing ventilators for intensive care medicine worldwide in Graubünden, Switzerland. Since our founding on May 18, 1983, we have been committed to helping medical teams deliver the best respiratory care - to anyone, anywhere.
Hamilton Medical is turning 40. Let's take a moment to reflect on the last 40 years of our innovation journey, from 1983 to 2023.
The foundation for Hamilton Medical was laid by a small advertisement in a Swiss newspaper. An anonymous advertiser was looking for an investor for his vision to control ventilators using a microprocessor.
In 1980, Steve Hamilton contacted the advertiser, Amadeo Meyer. The meeting turned out to be a great success for both parties: Amadeo Meyer had found an investor, and Steve Hamilton was able to follow in his father's inventive footsteps. In 1983, he founded Hamilton Medical AG in a small motel near Bonaduz.
In 1984, we launched VEOLAR, the first ventilator ever produced to be controlled by a microprocessor. A revolution in ventilation technology: analog electronic devices became a thing of the past. Software opened up a world of new possibilities. Our dedicated engenieers thus set a new standard.
About five years later, in 1989, we introduced AMADEUS, the first device with a digital oxygen mixer and an expiratory trigger sensitivity control.
In the 1990s, the Hamilton Medical team introduced two more devices to the market: ARABELLA in 1995, for the ventilation of premature and newborn infants using nasal prongs, and GALILEO in 1997.
With GALILEO, we once again revolutionized the state of the art at that time. The graphical representation of patient information allowed nursing staff to capture important data at a glance. With the introduction of Adaptive Support Ventilation (ASV®), Steve Hamilton achieved a milestone in his vision: ASV automatically adapts ventilation to the patient's lung mechanics, individualizing ventilation.
My family's mindset is to drive innovation to improve people's lives. My grandfather Clark revolutionized the world with the invention of the microliter syringe. Laying the foundation for today's Hamilton Group in 1947.
My father Steve pushed several revolutions in mechanical ventilation. And we will continue to do so in the future. Because we are committed to helping medical teams deliver the best respiratory care - to anyone, anywhere.
CEO / Third generation Hamilton family
In 2003, we launched another ventilator on the market: RAPHAEL. At the beginning of the new millennium, we also introduced the P/V-Tool technology for recruitment maneuvers, followed by the Ventilation Cockpit in 2008, closely followed by the HAMILTON-G5.
This versatile ventilator is still used worldwide for all patient groups.
In 2010, with the HAMILTON-S1, we were able to introduce another revolution in mechanical ventilation: INTELLiVENT®-ASV, an intelligent ventilation mode that focuses on the defined clinical goals for oxygenation and ventilation.
Further innovations followed: the HAMILTON-MR1 with magnetic resonance scanners, and our HAMILTON-T1 transport ventilator.
In the development of our devices, we continually integrate new technologies. In 2017, we introduced IntelliSync+ with the HAMILTON-C6: This technology monitors the synchronization between the patient and the ventilator by analyzing flow and pressure curves hundreds of times per second.
Since 2020, our Connect App has been streaming data from the ventilator to a mobile device in near real-time. This allows for checking parameter settings and active alarms, displaying a curve on the entire screen, or providing an overview of all parameters.
At the beginning of the pandemic, we set up a production line in the USA within four months to better meet the high demand for ventilators.
In 2023 we celebrate our 40-years anniversary, and we are looking forward to soon introducing more innovations soon.
