Healthcare technology company Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) announced on Wednesday that it is making strategic investments in two privately held intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) catheter developers, aiming to strengthen its cardiac ablation business and expand the capabilities of its Affera mapping and ablation platform.

These investments include California-based Beluga Medical, which is developing a next-generation ICE product, and Shenzhen-based CardioACC, whose ICE system received approval from China's National Medical Products Administration in 2025. Both companies will continue to operate independently.

Medtronic plans to integrate ICE technology into the Affera ecosystem, enhancing real-time, high-resolution cardiac imaging during electrophysiology procedures used to treat arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation.

The move forms part of Medtronic's broader strategy to support growth in its cardiac ablation franchise and follows a series of recent transactions aimed at strengthening its position in core healthcare technology markets. The company said the investments will help expand its differentiated portfolio of mapping, imaging and ablation technologies while delivering value to physicians and healthcare providers.

Medtronic's cardiac ablation business includes the PulseSelect pulsed field ablation system and the Affera platform, which incorporates the Sphere-9 dual-energy mapping and ablation catheter. The company continues to pursue global expansion of its electrophysiology technologies amid growing demand for atrial fibrillation treatment solutions.