free life medical GmbH

What free life medical GmbH does

free life medical GmbH is a privately held, family-owned German medical device manufacturer founded in 2004 by Jan and Martin Hildinger, headquartered in Aachen-Verlautenheide near the Germany-Netherlands-Belgium tri-border. The company specializes in consumables and equipment for extracorporeal circulation support in cardiac, vascular, and thoracic surgery, with a primary focus on the ECMO/ECLS (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation / extracorporeal life support) segment. Its core product portfolio comprises the FT2800PRO electronic blood heater unit, the Paragon PP and Paragon PMP oxygenators, the REVAS® branded dual lumen cannulae with proprietary RHEOPAX® coating (certified for up to 30 days of application), and tubing sets for blood-carrying systems manufactured in-house within a 100 m² Class 10,000 cleanroom. Historical offerings include Labcor and AutoTissue heart valves introduced at founding.

The company operates a B2B enterprise sales motion targeting hospitals and cardiac surgery centers, supported by a small direct sales team (Vertriebsleitung Rigobert Schnur, sales representatives) and a 24/7 hotline. Revenue is generated through hardware sales of medical devices on a quote-based procurement basis; no pricing is publicly disclosed. Distribution extends through a network of partner companies including Terumo, Braile, DG Medical, Cardia, ECM BV, USB Medical, and Alemannia, which provide supply and distribution reach across primarily German and Benelux markets. The customer base consists of cardiac surgery centers and hospitals performing open-heart and ECMO/ECLS procedures.

With approximately 8 total employees (7 of whom work in cleanroom tubing production), no external funding, no M&A activity, and concentrated family ownership and management (Hildinger family members in CEO, sales, procurement, finance roles), free life medical GmbH is a stable, niche specialty MedTech business. Strategic activity has been incremental over time, with the most recent material move being the 2018 REVAS® brand consolidation. The company does not disclose revenue and has no public listing; it operates as a privately held GmbH registered in Germany under HRB 12270 Amtsgericht Aachen.

Name

free life medical GmbH

Legal name

free life medical GmbH

Website

https://freelife-gmbh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

free life medical GmbH is a family-owned German medical device manufacturer founded in 2004, specializing in ECMO/ECLS consumables and equipment — including oxygenators, dual lumen cannulae, blood heater units, and tubing sets — for cardiac surgery centers and hospitals across the DACH and Benelux region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cardiac Surgery Medical Devices

NAICS

Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Mechanical Circulatory Support (VAD, IABP, ECMO) (HLAHAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cardiac Surgery Devices (Cannulas, Clamps, Closure, Grafts) (HLAHAFAH)

Keywords

• Cardiac surgery devices
• Extracorporeal circulation systems
• ECMO ECLS equipment
• Medical oxygenators
• Blood carrying tubing

Headquarters

HQ city

Aachen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Medical Device Sales: Sale of proprietary medical devices for extracorporeal circulation including blood tube sets, oxygenators, cannula systems, and blood heater units for cardiac, vascular, and thoracic surgery applications

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

free life medical GmbH designs, manufactures, and sells proprietary medical devices for extracorporeal circulation support used in cardiac, vascular, and thoracic surgery. Its portfolio spans blood heater units (FT2800PRO), oxygenators (Paragon PP and Paragon PMP), ECMO/ECLS cannulae (including REVAS dual lumen cannulae with RHEOPAX coating certified for up to 30 days of use), and tubing sets for blood-carrying systems produced in-house in a Class 10,000 cleanroom. The company sells directly to hospitals and cardiac surgery centers across Europe.

Product overview

free life medical GmbH is a medical device company specializing in cardiac surgery equipment, founded in 2004 by Jan and Martin Hildinger. The company operates a manufacturing facility in Aachen-Verlautenheide with a 100 m² Class 10,000 cleanroom. Its product portfolio centers on extracorporeal life support systems, including the FT2800PRO blood heater unit, Paragon PP and Paragon PMP oxygenators, and the REVAS® branded ECMO/ECLS cannulas with RHEOPAX® coating certified for up to 30 days. Additional offerings include tubing sets for blood-carrying systems and historical heart valve products (Labcor, AutoTissue). The company serves cardiac, vascular, and thoracic surgery markets with 30 years of combined expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• REVAS: Brand for ECMO/ECLS cannulas introduced in 2018, featuring dual lumen cannulae with RHEOPAX coating and application duration up to 30 days.

Products and services

• ECMO/ECLS Blood Heater Unit FT2800PRO

Quantifiable outcome

• ECMO/ECLS cannulae certified for application duration up to 30 days

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• TerumominorOthersPartner company logo displayed in partner section of website; nature of partnership appears to be supply or distribution relationship in the cardiac surgery medical devices market.
• BraileminorOthersPartner company logo displayed in partner section of website; relationship appears to be supply or distribution arrangement for medical devices.
• DG MedicalminorOthersPartner company logo displayed in partner section of website; nature of partnership appears to be supply or distribution relationship in the cardiac surgery medical devices market.
• CardiaminorOthersPartner company logo displayed in partner section of website; relationship appears to be supply or distribution arrangement for medical devices.
• ECM BVminorOthersDutch partner company (ecmbv.nl) logo displayed in partner section; relationship appears to be supply or distribution arrangement for ECMO products.
• USB MedicalminorOthersPartner company logo displayed in partner section of website; relationship appears to be supply or distribution arrangement for medical devices.
• AlemanniaminorOthersPartner company logo displayed in partner section of website; relationship appears to be supply or distribution arrangement for medical devices.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• LivaNova: UK-headquartered medtech company (formerly Sorin) with a cardiopulmonary business covering oxygenators, heart-lung machines and cannulae. Direct overlap with free life medical's cardiac surgery consumables portfolio.
• Getinge (Maquet): Getinge's Maquet brand is a global leader in cardiopulmonary bypass and ECMO systems, including oxygenators, cannulae and tubing sets. Competes head-to-head with free life medical across the same cardiac surgery customer base.
• Terumo Corporation: Japanese global medical device giant with a dedicated Cardiac and Vascular Company that manufactures oxygenators, pumps and cannulae for ECMO and cardiopulmonary bypass. Direct overlap with free life medical's core product portfolio and also an existing partner on its website.
• Medtronic: Global medical device leader offering oxygenators and perfusion products through its Cardiac Surgery business. Overlaps with free life medical's cardiac surgery and ECMO/ECLS product categories at scale.
• Abbott: Global healthcare major with cardiac surgery and mechanical circulatory support offerings. Competes in adjacent categories (heart valves, circulatory support) where free life medical also participates via historical Labcor/AutoTissue heart valve distribution.

Direct peers

• Eurosets: Italian specialist in ECMO and cardiopulmonary bypass devices, including oxygenators and cannulae. Closest head-to-head European niche competitor to free life medical in ECMO/ECLS consumables.
• Nipro Corporation: Japanese medical device manufacturer with a strong presence in dialysis and oxygenators for ECMO/cardiac surgery. Direct competitor in oxygenator and perfusion consumables categories.
• Braile Biomédica: Brazilian manufacturer of cardiac surgery products including oxygenators and cannulae, listed as a partner on free life medical's website. Comparable niche cardiac surgery consumables manufacturer with similar OEM/distribution model.
• Fresenius Medical Care (Xenios): Xenios, now part of Fresenius Medical Care, is a specialist in minimally-invasive cardiopulmonary support and ECMO therapy. Direct competitor in the European ECMO consumables niche where free life medical also operates.

Emerging players

• Inspira Technologies: Israeli-listed emerging medtech developing next-generation extracorporeal respiratory support (ECMO/artificial lung) systems. Competes for the same hospital ECMO/ECLS procurement budgets free life medical targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/free-life-medical-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about free life medical GmbH