EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1639691
Filing Year: 2023
Filename: 1639691_10-K_2023_0001639691-23-000015.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1. Business
Description of the Business and Background
LivaNova PLC, headquartered in London (collectively with its subsidiaries, the “Company,” “LivaNova,” “we” or “our”), is a global medical device company. We design, develop, manufacture and sell products and therapies that are consistent with our mission to provide hope for patients and their families through innovative medical technologies, delivering life-changing improvements for both the Head and Heart.
We were organized under the laws of England and Wales on February 20, 2015 for the purpose of facilitating the business combination of Cyberonics, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and Sorin S.p.A. (“Sorin”), a joint stock company organized under the laws of Italy. The business combination became effective in October 2015. LivaNova’s ordinary shares are listed for trading on the Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “LIVN.”
Business Overview
LivaNova is comprised of three reportable segments: Cardiopulmonary, Neuromodulation and Advanced Circulatory Support (“ACS”), corresponding to our primary business units. “Other” includes corporate shared service expenses for finance, legal, human resources, information technology and corporate business development. For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, “Other” also includes the results of our Heart Valve business, which was divested on June 1, 2021.
For further information regarding our reportable segments, historical financial information and our methodology for the presentation of financial results, please refer to “Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Cardiopulmonary
Our Cardiopulmonary segment is engaged in the development, production and sale of cardiopulmonary products, including heart-lung machines (“HLM”), oxygenators, autotransfusion systems, perfusion tubing systems, cannulae and other related accessories. It includes the development of the Essenz Perfusion System, our next-generation HLM and a patient monitor that delivers a patient-tailored approach, supporting data-driven decisions during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures. In the fourth quarter of 2022, we completed the first clinical cases using Essenz in two major centers in Europe.
Cardiopulmonary bypass is commonly used in many operations involving the heart. The technique enables the surgical team to oxygenate and circulate the patient's blood, thus allowing the surgeon to operate on the heart. The most commonly performed procedures requiring cardiopulmonary bypass are conventional coronary artery bypass grafting and valve surgeries. In such procedures, the patient is placed on an extracorporeal circulatory support system that temporarily functions as the patient’s heart and lungs and provides blood flow to the body. Our products include systems to enable cardiopulmonary bypass, including HLMs, oxygenators, autotransfusion systems, perfusion tubing sets, cannulae and accessories, as well as related equipment and disposables for autotransfusion and autologous blood washing for neonatal, pediatric and adult patients. Our primary cardiopulmonary products include:
Heart-lung machines. The HLM product group includes HLMs, heater coolers, related cardiac surgery equipment and maintenance and technical services. HLMs temporarily take over the work of the heart and/or lungs, providing blood and oxygen to the body. HLMs are most often used during serious procedures that require the heart to be stopped. Heater coolers are used during surgeries to warm or cool patients as part of their care. They are especially important during surgeries involving the heart and lungs.
Oxygenators and perfusion tubing systems. The oxygenators product group, which includes oxygenators and other disposable devices for extracorporeal circulation, includes the Inspire systems. The Inspire range of products is comprised of 12 models and provides perfusionists with a customizable approach for the benefit of patients. Oxygenators exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood of patients during surgical procedures. An oxygenator is typically utilized by perfusionists during cardiac surgery in conjunction with a HLM. Oxygenators can also be utilized in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (“ECMO”).
Autotransfusion systems. One of the key elements for a complete blood management strategy is autologous blood transfusion. The autotransfusion product group facilitates the collection, processing and reinfusion of the patient’s own blood lost at the surgical site.
Cannulae. Our cannulae product family is used to connect the extracorporeal circulation to the heart of the patient during cardiac surgery.
Neuromodulation
Our Neuromodulation segment is engaged in the design, development and marketing of devices that deliver neuromodulation therapy for treating drug-resistant epilepsy (“DRE”) and difficult-to-treat depression (“DTD”). It also encompasses the development and management of clinical testing of our aura6000 System for treating obstructive sleep apnea (“OSA”) and, until recently, our VITARIA System which was intended to treat heart failure.
Our principal Neuromodulation product, the LivaNova Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy (“VNS Therapy”) System, is an implantable device authorized for the treatment of DRE and DTD. The VNS Therapy System consists of an implantable pulse generator and connective lead that stimulate the vagus nerve; surgical equipment to assist with the implant procedure; equipment and instruction manuals enabling a treating physician to set parameters for a patient’s pulse generator; and for epilepsy, magnets to manually suspend or induce nerve stimulation. The pulse generator and lead are surgically implanted in a subcutaneous pocket in the upper left chest area, generally during an out-patient procedure. The lead, which does not need to be removed to replace a generator with a depleted battery, is connected to the pulse generator and tunneled under the skin to the vagus nerve in the lower left side of the patient’s neck. Our aura6000 device for treating OSA stimulates the hypoglossal nerve, which in turn, engages certain muscles in the tongue to open the airway while a patient is sleeping.
Epilepsy
There are several broad types of treatment available to patients with epilepsy: multiple anti-seizure medications (“ASMs”); various forms of the ketogenic diet; vagus nerve stimulation (“VNS”); resective and ablative brain surgery; and intracranial neurostimulation. ASMs typically serve as a first-line treatment and are prescribed for virtually all patients diagnosed with epilepsy. After two anti-seizure medications fail to deliver seizure control, the epilepsy is characterized as drug-resistant, at which point, adjunctive non-drug options are considered, including VNS therapy, ketogenic diet, resective or ablative surgery and other neuromodulation therapies.
In 1997, our VNS Therapy System was the first medical device treatment approved by the FDA for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy, and today is the only neuromodulation device approved for use in DRE patients in the U.S. as young as four years of age with partial onset, or focal, seizures. Other worldwide regulatory bodies have also approved the VNS Therapy System for treating patients with DRE, many without age or seizure-type restrictions. Globally, VNS Therapy is the most widely reimbursed neuromodulation therapy available. In 2020, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) expanded reimbursement for VNS Therapy use in the treatment of Dravet Syndrome and, in January 2022, expanded reimbursement for VNS Therapy use in the treatment of Lennox Gastaut Syndrome.
We distribute multiple VNS Therapy Systems for the treatment of epilepsy, including Model 103 (Demipulse), Model 104 (Demipulse Duo), Model 106 (AspireSR), Model 1000 (SenTiva) and Model 1000D (SenTiva Duo) pulse generators. Our AspireSR and SenTiva generators provide the traditional benefits of VNS Therapy but add an additional stimulation capability: closed loop stimulation (AutoStim™) which responds to detection of changes in heart rate potentially indicative of a seizure. The SenTiva generator is the smallest and lightest VNS device capable of delivering responsive therapy for epilepsy and includes the additional flexibility of our Scheduled Programming and Day & Night Programming capabilities. In 2017, VNS Therapy devices were FDA approved for expanded magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) access while similar CE Mark approval followed shortly thereafter. Currently, SenTiva, AspireHC and AspireSR models of VNS Therapy technology provide for this expanded MRI access.
Depression
In 2005, the FDA approved the VNS Therapy System for the adjunctive treatment of chronic or recurrent depression for patients 18 years or older who are experiencing a major depressive episode and have not had an adequate response to four or more antidepressant treatments. In 2007, the United States (“U.S.”) CMS issued a national non-coverage determination (“NCD”) within the U.S. with respect to reimbursement of the VNS Therapy System for patients with DTD, significantly limiting access to this therapeutic option for most patients. In 2020, our VNS Therapy System, Symmetry received CE mark approval for the treatment of DTD.
In 2017, the American Journal of Psychiatry published the results of the longest and largest naturalistic study (the “D23 study”) on treatments for patients experiencing chronic and severe DTD. The findings showed that the addition of the VNS Therapy System to traditional treatment is effective in significantly reducing symptoms of depression and well tolerated compared with traditional treatment alone. Following publication of the D23 study, we requested CMS to reconsider its previous NCD, and in 2018, CMS published a tracking sheet to reconsider its NCD.
In 2019, CMS produced a final decision providing coverage for Medicare beneficiaries through Coverage with Evidence Development (“CED”) when offered in a CMS-approved, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with a follow-up
duration of at least one year, as well as coverage of VNS Therapy device replacement. The CED also includes the possibility to extend the study to a prospective longitudinal registry.
In 2019, CMS accepted the protocol for our RECOVER clinical study and the first patient was enrolled. RECOVER may include up to 500 unipolar and up to 500 bipolar patients at a maximum of 100 sites in the United States in the randomized part of the trial and may include up to an additional 5,800 patients in an open label registry.
In 2020, we announced a research collaboration with Verily, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., to capture clinical biomarkers of depression within our RECOVER clinical study. Using technology and analytics by way of the Verily Study Watch and related Verily mobile phone application, LivaNova and Verily aim to gather quantitative data to further understand depressive episodes and a patient’s response to treatment. These complementary approaches are expected to help investigators better understand the impact of depression and its treatment on study participants’ lives in a more objective and multi-dimensional manner. In 2021, LivaNova and Verily announced that the first patient had been enrolled in their collaborative UNCOVER study, a subset of the RECOVER study.
In March 2022, LivaNova announced the 250th unipolar depression patient was implanted in the RECOVER clinical study. This key milestone preceded conducting the first interim analysis. The study was designed with frequent interim analyses, which occur every 25 patients, to be conducted by an independent Statistical Analysis Committee. The interim analysis assesses if predictive probability of success has been reached for the unipolar cohort of the study, at which point the randomized controlled trial (“RCT”) enrollment will cease and future patients will be enrolled into the prospective open label longitudinal study for that cohort. After the last patient enrolled into the RCT has completed 12 months of follow-up, a final analysis will be conducted on the complete dataset for that respective cohort. The trial, if successful, will be used to support a peer-reviewed article and reconsideration of reimbursement for VNS Therapy by CMS for the treatment of DTD.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
In 2018, we acquired full ownership of ImThera, a privately held, emerging-growth company developing an implantable neurostimulation device system for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. The device stimulates the hypoglossal nerve, which in turn, engages certain muscles in the tongue in order to open the airway while a patient is sleeping.
In 2021, LivaNova received approval from the FDA to proceed with its investigational device exemption clinical study, Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea using Targeted Hypoglossal Neurostimulation (“OSPREY”), and the first patient was implanted in March 2022. The OSPREY study seeks to confirm the safety and effectiveness of the aura6000 System.
Heart Failure
The VITARIA System was intended to treat heart failure through VNS. In 2018, after completion of pilot studies outside the U.S., we announced the first successful implantation of the VITARIA System in a patient randomized in the ANTHEM-HFrEF clinical trial, an international, multi-center, randomized trial (adaptive sample size) to evaluate the VITARIA System for the treatment of advanced heart failure. During the fourth quarter of 2022, we randomized the 500th patient in the trial which triggered the second interim analysis. The independent Data and Safety Monitoring Committee (“DSMC”) evaluated safety, a trend toward the primary endpoint and success in the three functional endpoints. This analysis determined that the U.S. FDA early filing conditions were not met, and the DSMC recommended that enrollment continue in accordance with the current study protocol. However, we conducted further evaluation of the study data and concluded that such data did not demonstrate a sufficiently strong positive impact on functional or mortality endpoints and that it was unlikely that the continuation of the study would demonstrate such an impact. As a result, on February 22, 2023, we announced that we are stopping enrollment in the ANTHEM-HFrEF clinical trial, beginning the process to close the clinical study and winding down our heart failure program.
Advanced Circulatory Support
Our ACS segment is engaged in the development, production and sale of leading-edge temporary life support products. Our ACS products, which comprise the LifeSPARC platform and ProtekDuo cannula, simplify temporary extracorporeal cardiopulmonary life support solutions for critically ill patients. The LifeSPARC platform includes a common compact console and pump that provides temporary support for emergent rescue patients in a variety of settings. Designed for ease of use, the system offers power and versatility for multi-disciplinary programs to support more patients in more places. The platform is accompanied by four specialized and ready-to-deploy kits, each designed to support diverse cannulation strategies. In November 2022, the FDA approved our LifeSPARC platform for ECMO. This approval allows for our LifeSPARC platform to be used for ECMO beyond six hours for patients in acute respiratory failure or acute cardiopulmonary failure, including but not limited to those receiving treatment for COVID-19.
We previously owned a 3% equity interest in ALung Technologies, Inc. (“ALung”), a privately-held medical device company focused on creating advanced medical devices for treating respiratory failure. In May 2022, we acquired the remaining 97% of equity interests. For additional information, please refer to “Note 4. Business Combinations” and “Note 8. Goodwill and Intangible Assets” in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. As a result of the ALung transaction, our ACS segment also includes the Hemolung Respiratory Assist System (“Hemolung RAS”), which is the only FDA-cleared platform designed specifically for low-flow extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal for acute respiratory failure.
In August 2022, CMS approved a New Technology Add-on Payment (“NTAP”) for our Hemolung RAS for in-patient care. The NTAP designation is awarded to novel medical technologies and services supported by clinical evidence that are expected to substantially improve the diagnosis or treatment of Medicare beneficiaries.
Research and Development (“R&D”)
Our markets are subject to rapid technological advances, and product improvement, software advancements and innovation are necessary to maintain market leadership. We direct our R&D efforts toward maintaining or achieving technological leadership in each of the markets we serve to help ensure that patients using our devices and therapies receive the most advanced and effective treatment possible. We remain committed to developing technological enhancements and new uses for existing products and less invasive and new technologies for new and emerging markets to address unmet patient needs. We initiate and participate in many clinical trials each year as the demand for clinical and economic evidence remains high. We also strive for development activities to help reduce patient care costs and the length of hospital stays in the future.
We work to continue to identify innovative technologies and continually assess the ability of our R&D programs to deliver economic value to the customer. Our current R&D expenses consist of product design and development efforts, including in relation to software and technology, clinical study programs and regulatory activities, which are essential to our strategic portfolio initiatives.
Patents and Licenses
We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and non-disclosure and non-competition agreements to protect our intellectual property. We generally file patent applications in the U.S. and countries where patent protection for our technology is appropriate and available. As of December 31, 2022, we held more than 840 issued patents worldwide, with approximately 285 pending patent applications that cover various aspects of our technology. Patents typically have a 20-year term from the application filing date. In addition, we hold exclusive and non-exclusive licenses to a variety of third-party technologies covered by patents and pending patent applications. There can be no assurance that pending patent applications will result in the issuance of patents, that patents issued to or licensed by us will not be challenged or circumvented by competitors, or that these patents will be found to be valid or sufficiently broad to protect our technology or to provide us with a competitive advantage. We have also obtained certain trademarks and trade names for our products and maintain certain details about our processes, products and strategies as trade secrets. In the aggregate, we consider these intellectual property assets to be of material importance to our business segments and operations. We regularly review third-party patents and patent applications in an effort to protect our intellectual property and avoid disputes over proprietary rights.
We rely on non-disclosure and non-competition agreements with employees, consultants and other parties to protect, in part, trade secrets and other proprietary technology. There can be no assurance that these agreements will not be breached or will be enforceable, in particular due to new proposed regulation in the U.S., that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, that others will not independently develop equivalent proprietary information or that third parties will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets and proprietary knowledge.
For additional information, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, under the section entitled “We are substantially dependent on patent and other proprietary rights and failing to protect such rights or to be successful in litigation related to our rights or the rights of others may result in our payment of significant monetary damages and/or royalty payments, negatively impact our ability to sell current or future products, or prohibit us from enforcing our patent and other proprietary rights against others.”
Markets and Distribution Methods
The three largest markets for our medical devices are the U.S., Europe and the Asia-Pacific region (“APAC”). We sell most of our medical devices through direct sales representatives in the U.S. and a combination of direct sales representatives and independent distributors in markets outside the U.S.
Our marketing and sales strategy is focused on rapid, cost-effective delivery of high-quality products to a diverse group of customers worldwide, including perfusionists, neurologists, neurosurgeons and other physicians, hospitals and other medical institutions and healthcare providers. To achieve this objective, we maintain a highly knowledgeable and dedicated sales staff that is able to foster strong relationships with our broad range of customers. We cultivate and maintain close working relationships with professionals in the medical industry. These relationships provide us with a detailed understanding of therapeutic and diagnostic developments, trends and emerging opportunities, which enable us to respond to the changing needs of providers and patients. We actively participate in medical meetings and conduct comprehensive training and educational activities to enhance our presence in the medical communities we serve. We believe that these activities also contribute to advancing healthcare professionals’ expertise.
Due to the emphasis on cost-effectiveness in healthcare delivery, the current trend among hospitals and other medical device customers is to consolidate into larger purchasing groups to enhance purchasing power. As a result, customer transactions have become increasingly complex. Enhanced purchasing power may also lead to pressure on pricing and an increase in the use of preferred vendors. Our customer base continues to evolve to reflect such economic changes across the geographic markets we serve.
Competition and Industry
We compete in the medical device market with sales in more than 100 countries. Technological advances and scientific discoveries can cause rapid change in this market. Our competitors across our product portfolio range from large manufacturers with multiple business lines to small manufacturers offering a limited selection of specialized products. In addition, we face competition from providers of alternative medical therapies, such as pharmaceutical companies and providers of cannabis derived products, among others.
Product problems, physician advisories, regulatory safety alerts and publications about our products, or competitor products, can cause major shifts in industry market share, reflecting the importance of product quality, product efficacy and quality systems in the medical device industry. In addition, because of developments in managed care, economically motivated customers, consolidation among healthcare providers, increased competition and declining reimbursement rates, we may be increasingly required to compete on the basis of price. In order to continue to compete effectively, we must continue to create or acquire advanced technology, incorporate this technology into proprietary products, obtain regulatory approvals in a timely manner, maintain high-quality manufacturing processes and successfully market these products.
Our primary medical device competitors in the Cardiopulmonary, Neuromodulation and Advanced Circulatory Support product groups are Terumo Medical Corporation, Maquet Medical Systems, Medtronic plc, Haemonetics Corporation, NeuroPace, Inc. and Abbott Laboratories, Inc., although not all competitors are present in all product lines.
Production, Quality Systems and Raw Materials
We manufacture a majority of our products at nine manufacturing facilities located in Italy, Germany, the U.S., Brazil and Australia. We purchase raw materials and many of the components used in our manufacturing facilities from numerous suppliers in various countries. For quality assurance, sole source availability or cost effectiveness purposes, we may procure certain components and raw materials from a sole supplier. We work closely with our suppliers to ensure continuity of supply while maintaining high quality and reliability, minimize the instances in which we rely on a sole supplier and take other countermeasures to reduce our supply chain risk, but, like many companies, have experienced and continue to experience supply chain delays and interruptions, labor shortages, inflationary pressures and logistical issues. We use quality systems in the design, production, warehousing and distribution of our products to ensure our products are safe and effective. In addition, we utilize environmental management systems and safety programs to protect the environment and our employees. For example, all of our manufacturing facilities are certified ISO 13485. Additionally, our Mirandola, Italy plant is certified ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 and our Munich, Germany plant is certified ISO 14001. For additional information related to our manufacturing facilities, refer to “Item 2. Properties” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Government Regulation and Other Considerations
Our medical devices are subject to extensive government regulation by numerous government agencies, both within and outside the U.S. To varying degrees, each of these agencies requires us to comply with laws and regulations governing the research, development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, pre-market clearance or approval, marketing, distribution, advertising, promotion, record keeping, reporting, tracking, and importing and exporting of our products. Our business is also affected by patient privacy and security laws, cost containment initiatives, and environmental health and safety laws and regulations worldwide.
The laws applicable to us are subject to changing and evolving interpretations, and we continue to monitor such shifts. The Company believes it is in compliance with such laws and regulations, and while the impact of regulatory changes cannot be predicted with certainty, the Company does not expect compliance to have a material adverse effect upon the Company’s earnings, competitive position or estimated capital expenditures. However, if a governmental authority were to conclude that we are not in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, we and our officers and employees could be subject to severe civil and criminal penalties, including substantial fines and damages, and exclusion from participation as a supplier of products to beneficiaries covered by government programs, among other potential enforcement actions.
Product Approval and Monitoring
Many countries where we sell our products subject our medical devices to their own approval and requirements regarding performance, safety and quality. Each medical device we seek to distribute commercially in the U.S., for example, must receive 510(k) clearance or pre-market approval (“PMA”) from the FDA, unless specifically exempted by the agency. The 510(k) process, also known as pre-market notification, requires us to demonstrate that our new medical device is substantially equivalent to a legally marketed medical device. The PMA process, which is more costly and rigorous than the 510(k) process, requires us to demonstrate independently that a medical device is safe and effective for its intended use. One or more clinical studies may be required to support a 510(k) application and are almost always required to support a PMA application.
The European Union (“EU”) established a single regulatory approval process, according to which a “Conformité Européenne” (French for “European Conformity”) or CE Mark certifies conformity with all of the legal requirements of the regulatory process. To obtain a CE Mark, defined products must meet minimum standards of performance, safety and quality (i.e., the essential requirements), and then, according to their classification, comply with one or more of a selection of conformity assessment routes. To demonstrate compliance with the essential requirements, we must undergo a conformity assessment procedure, which varies according to the type of medical device and its classification. As a general rule, demonstration of conformity of medical devices and their manufacturers with the essential requirements must be based on, among other things, the evaluation of clinical data supporting the safety and performance of the products during normal conditions of use. The competent authorities of the EU countries separately regulate the clinical research for medical devices and the market surveillance of products placed on the market, and manufacturers with CE marked devices are subject to regular inspections to monitor compliance with the applicable directives and essential requirements. In 2017, the EU published its Medical Device Regulation (“Reg MDR”), which imposed significantly more premarket and post-market requirements for medical devices upon conclusion of a three-year implementation period. We have initiated a plan of action to obtain the appropriate approvals for our products and intend to be fully compliant prior to the May 2024 deadline, though we understand there is a proposal to extend the compliance deadline.
We are also required to comply with the regulations of every other country where we commercialize products before we can launch or maintain new products in the market. To be sold in Japan, for example, our medical devices must undergo thorough safety examinations and demonstrate medical efficacy from the Japanese government through the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, before they are granted approval. In China, regulatory requirements are becoming more stringent, with the China National Medical Product Administration recently increasing regulatory requirements to market and maintain products in China. Many countries require that product approvals be recertified on a regular basis, generally every four to five years. The recertification process requires that we evaluate any device changes and any new regulations or standards relevant to the device and, where needed, conduct appropriate testing to document continued compliance. Where recertification applications are required, they must be approved in order to continue selling our products in those countries.
The global regulatory environment is increasingly stringent and unpredictable. Several countries that did not have regulatory requirements for medical devices have established such requirements in recent years, and other countries have expanded, or plan to expand, their existing regulations. While some regulatory bodies have pursued harmonization of global regulations, requirements continue to differ significantly among countries. We expect this global regulatory environment will continue to evolve, which could impact the cost, approval lead time, and ultimately, our ability to maintain existing approvals or obtain future approvals for our products.
Product and Promotional Restrictions
Both before and after we release a product for commercial distribution, we have ongoing responsibilities under various laws and regulations governing medical devices. The FDA and other regulatory agencies in and outside the U.S. review our design and manufacturing practices, labeling, record keeping, and required reports of adverse experiences and other information to identify potential problems with marketed medical devices. We are also subject to periodic inspections for compliance with applicable quality system regulations, which govern the methods used in, and the facilities and controls used for, the design, manufacture, packaging and servicing of finished medical devices intended for human use. In addition, the FDA and other U.S. regulatory bodies monitor the manner in which we promote and advertise our products. Although physicians are permitted to
use their medical judgment to prescribe medical devices for indications other than those cleared or approved by the FDA, we are prohibited from promoting products for such “off-label” uses and can only market our products for cleared or approved uses.
Any adverse regulatory action, depending on its magnitude, may limit our ability to market and sell our products effectively, limit our ability to obtain future premarket approvals or result in a substantial modification to our business practices and operations. For additional information, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, under the section entitled “Our products are subject to complex laws and regulations, and failure to obtain product approvals, clearance or reimbursement may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.”
Governmental Trade Regulations
The sale and shipment of our products and services across international borders, as well as the purchase of components and products from international sources, subject us to extensive governmental trade regulations. Many countries control the export and re-export of goods, technology and services for public health, national security, regional stability, antiterrorism and other reasons. Some governments may also impose economic sanctions against certain countries, persons or entities. In certain circumstances, governmental authorities may require that we obtain an approval before we export or re-export goods, technology or services to certain destinations, to certain end-users and for certain end-uses. Because we are subject to extensive regulations in the countries in which we operate, we are subject to the risk that laws and regulations could change in a way that would expose us to additional costs, penalties or liabilities.
We also sell and provide goods, technology and services to agents, representatives and distributors who may export such items to customers and end-users, and if these third parties violate applicable export control or economic sanctions laws or regulations when engaging in transactions involving our products, we may be subject to varying degrees of liability depending on the extent of our participation in the transaction. The activities of these third parties may cause disruption or delays in the distribution and sale of our products or result in restrictions being placed on our international distribution and sales of products, which may materially impact our business activities.
Patient Privacy and Security Laws
We are subject to various laws worldwide that protect the security and confidentiality of certain patient health information, including patient medical records, and that restrict the use and disclosure of patient health information. Privacy standards are becoming increasingly strict; enforcement actions and financial penalties related to privacy issues in the EU are growing, and new privacy and data residency laws and restrictions are being passed in other countries including the U.S., China, and Brazil. The management of cross-border transfers of information among and outside of EU member countries is becoming more complex, which may complicate our business and clinical research activities, as well as product offerings that involve transmission or use of patient health information. We continue our efforts to comply with those requirements and to adapt our business processes to those standards.
In the U.S., the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) as amended by the Health Information Technology and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”) and their respective implementing regulations impose specified requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information. Among other things, HITECH makes HIPAA’s privacy and security standards directly applicable to “business associates,” defined as independent contractors or agents of covered entities that create, receive, maintain or transmit protected health information in connection with providing a service for or on behalf of a covered entity. We are deemed to operate as a business associate to covered entities in certain instances. In those cases, the patient data that we receive may include protected health information, as defined under HIPAA. Enforcement actions can be costly and interrupt regular operations of our business. In addition, state laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), govern the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways, thus complicating compliance and data protection efforts. For additional information, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, under the section entitled “Cyber-attacks or other disruptions to our information technology systems could lead to reduced revenue, increased costs, liability claims, fines, harm to our competitive position and loss of reputation.”
In the EU, Regulation 2016/679 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) came into effect in May 2018. One of the strictest and most comprehensive data privacy laws in the world, the GDPR, among other things, introduced proactive compliance measures, such as the requirement to carry out a Privacy Impact Assessment, Data Transfer Impact Assessment, and appoint a Data Protection Officer in organizations where health data is processed on a “large scale.” Although “large scale” is not defined, it is likely that clinical trials involving substantial numbers of patients (or healthy volunteers if applicable) would mean that such requirements apply to us. In addition, the administrative fines that can be levied are significantly increased, the
maximum being the higher of €20 million (approximately $21.4 million), or 4% of our total worldwide revenue in the previous financial year.
Cost Containment Initiatives
Government and private sector initiatives to limit the growth of healthcare costs, including price regulation, competitive pricing, bidding and tender mechanics, coverage and payment policies, comparative effectiveness of therapies, technology assessments and managed-care arrangements are continuing in many countries where we do business. These changes are causing the marketplace to put increased emphasis on the delivery of more cost-effective medical devices and therapies. Government programs, private healthcare insurance and managed-care plans have attempted to control costs by limiting the extent of coverage or amount of reimbursement available for particular procedures or treatments, tying reimbursement to outcomes, shifting to population health management, and other mechanisms designed to constrain utilization and contain costs. Hospitals, which purchase implants, are also seeking to reduce costs through a variety of mechanisms, including, for example, creating centralized purchasing functions that set pricing and, in some cases, limit the number of vendors that can participate in the purchasing program. Hospitals are also aligning their interests with those of physicians through employment and other arrangements, such as gainsharing, whereby a hospital agrees with physicians to share certain realized cost savings resulting from the physicians’ collective change in practice patterns, such as standardization of devices where medically appropriate, and participation in affordable care organizations. Such alignment has created increasing levels of price sensitivity among customers for our products.
Some third-party payers must also approve coverage and set reimbursement levels for new or innovative devices or therapies before they will reimburse healthcare providers who use the medical devices or therapies. Even though a new medical device may be cleared for commercial distribution, we may find limited demand for the device until coverage and sufficient reimbursement levels have been obtained from governmental and private third-party payers. In addition, some private third-party payers require that certain procedures or the use of certain products be authorized in advance as a condition of coverage.
As a result of our manufacturing efficiencies, cost controls and other cost-savings initiatives, we believe we are well-positioned to respond to changes resulting from this worldwide trend toward cost containment; however, uncertainty remains as to the nature of any future legislation or other reforms, making it difficult for us to predict the potential impact of cost-containment trends on future operating results.
Applicability of Anti-Corruption Laws and Regulations
Our worldwide business is subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (the “FCPA”), the UK Bribery Act of 2010 (the “UK Bribery Act”) and other anti-corruption laws and regulations applicable in the jurisdictions where we operate. The FCPA can be used to prosecute companies in the U.S. for arrangements with physicians or other parties outside the U.S. if the physician or party is a government official of another country and prohibited payments are made to obtain or retain business. The UK Bribery Act prohibits both domestic and international bribery, as well as bribery across both public and private sectors. There are similar laws and regulations applicable to us outside the U.S. and the UK, all of which are subject to evolving interpretations. For additional information, please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, under the section entitled “The failure to comply with anti-bribery laws could materially adversely affect our business and result in civil and/or criminal sanctions.”
Environmental Regulation and Management
We are subject to various environmental laws, directives and regulations both in the U.S. and abroad. These laws and regulations could lead to increased environmental compliance expenditures, increased energy and raw materials costs and new and/or additional investment in designs and technologies. Like other medical device companies, our manufacturing and other operations involve the use, storage and transportation of substances regulated under environmental health and safety laws, including those related to the transportation of hazardous substances. To the best of our knowledge at this time, we do not believe that compliance with environmental protection laws related to our current operations, including but not limited to the Saluggia site as referenced in “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies” in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, will have a material impact on our financial position or liquidity. In addition, as noted in Note 14 to such financial statements, we are engaged in litigation with respect to historical remediation claims at sites operated by subsidiaries of SNIA, unrelated to our current operations. For more information, see “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies” to such financial statements.
We believe that sound environmental, health and safety performance contribute to our competitive strength while benefiting our customers, stockholders and employees. We are focused on continuous improvement in these areas by reducing pollution, depletion of natural resources and our overall environmental footprint. Specifically, we work to improve our energy and resource usage, ultimately seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste.
Health Care Fraud and Abuse Laws
We are subject to U.S. federal and state government healthcare regulation and enforcement and government regulations and enforcement in other countries in which we conduct our business. The federal healthcare Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits persons from, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, to a person to induce the purchase, order, lease, or recommendation of a good or service for which payment may be made in whole or part under a federal healthcare program such as Medicare or Medicaid, unless the arrangement fits within one of several statutory exemptions or regulatory “safe harbors.” Violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute may result in civil monetary penalties up to $100,000 for each violation, plus up to three times the remuneration involved. Violations can also result in criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment for up to 10 years. Finally, violations can result in exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
In addition to the Anti-Kickback Statute, many states have their own anti-kickback laws. Often, these laws closely follow the language of the federal law, although they do not always have the same exceptions or safe harbors. In some states, these anti-kickback laws apply with respect to all payers, including commercial health insurance companies.
Additionally, violations of the U.S. False Claims Act (the “False Claims Act”) can result in significant monetary penalties and treble damages. The U.S. federal government utilizes the False Claims Act, and the accompanying threat of significant financial liability, to investigate and prosecute device and biotechnology companies in connection with the promotion of products for unapproved uses and other sales and marketing practices. The U.S. government has obtained multi-million and multi-billion-dollar settlements under the False Claims Act, in addition to individual criminal convictions under applicable criminal statutes. Given the U.S. government’s success with prosecuting claims under the False Claims Act, we anticipate that the U.S. government will continue to devote substantial resources to investigating healthcare providers’ and manufacturers’ compliance with applicable fraud and abuse laws.
HIPAA includes federal criminal statutes that prohibit, among other actions, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private third-party payors; knowingly and willfully embezzling or stealing from a healthcare benefit program; willfully obstructing a criminal investigation of a healthcare offense; and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation.
There has also been a recent trend of increased federal and state regulation of payments made to physicians and other healthcare providers. We are subject, for example, to the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which requires us to report certain payments and other transfers of value we make to U.S. licensed physicians or U.S. teaching hospitals annually. Any failure to comply with such laws and regulations hold the potential for criminal and civil financial penalties.
The evolving commercial compliance environment and the need to build and maintain robust systems to comply with different compliance and/or reporting requirements in multiple jurisdictions increase the possibility that a healthcare company may violate one or more of the requirements. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of such laws or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including, without limitation, civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, and exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results.
Disclosure Pursuant to Section 13(r) of the Exchange Act of 1934
Section 13(r) of the Exchange Act requires issuers to disclose in their annual reports, among other things, certain types of dealings with Iran and other entities, including transactions or dealing with government-owned entities, even when those activities are lawful and do not involve U.S. persons. Two of our non-U.S. subsidiaries currently sell medical devices, including cardiopulmonary and neuromodulation products, to distributors and non-governmental organizations in Iran to support patient care in that country. We have limited visibility into the identity of these distributors’ and non-governmental organizations’ customers in Iran. It is possible that their customers include entities, such as government-owned hospitals or sub-distributors, that are owned or controlled directly or indirectly by the Iranian government. To the best of our knowledge at this time, we do not have any contracts or commercial arrangements with the Iranian government or other relevant entities.
Our gross revenues and net profits attributable to the above-mentioned Iranian activities were $0.4 million and $0.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022, respectively, and $4.9 million and $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, respectively.
We believe our activities are consistent with applicable law, including U.S., EU, and other applicable sanctions laws, though such laws are complex and continue to evolve rapidly. We intend to continue our business in Iran.
Human Capital Management
Our approximately 2,900 employees worldwide are crucial in our mission to provide hope to our patients and their families through delivering life-changing medical innovation for the head and the heart. In doing so, we seek to execute our business and encourage our employees to live our five core values: patients first, meaningful innovation, act with agility, commitment to quality and integrity, and collaborative culture. These values are how we evaluate ourselves and, ultimately, achieve success as an organization. They are deeply embedded in our culture, and we continually share stories embodying these values throughout the organization, by way of emailed videos, virtual and in-person town halls and leadership meetings. Our values inspire our good citizenship and how we conduct our business responsibly and sustainably while interacting with our communities, employees and the environment.
Compensation and Benefits
In order to meet the needs of our patients and customers, we endeavor to attract, retain, develop and reward exceptional talent. We have been successful in attracting talent due, in large part, to our proactive recruitment strategies, competitive compensation and benefits, collaborative and rewarding work environment, professional training and development programs for managers and employees, and health and wellness measures. Our packages include, depending on jurisdiction, annual bonuses, stock awards, pensions, health benefits and health programs, paid time off and parental leave, financial assistance for education-related purposes, flexible schedules, remote working, and employee stock purchase plans, among others.
Culture
Maintaining a culture that embodies our values and mission is of the utmost importance. We aim to foster a culture where learning is continuous, and open and direct employee communication is valued. Accordingly, we regularly conduct an anonymous employee survey called LivaNova4You to help measure the overall engagement and satisfaction level of our team. The survey provides us with actionable data which allows our senior leadership to understand and identify potential opportunities for improvement.
Our Q4 2021 survey results demonstrated satisfaction and growth in collaboration, including employees showing high trust and respect for each other; an increased feeling of recognition on a job well done; empowerment and the feeling of being sufficiently challenged; and flexibility in coming up with new and innovative ways to work. Employees also acknowledged an improvement in the tools and opportunities for advancement, one of our highest improving scores as compared to the previous survey. In response to feedback from the survey results, we committed to address workload, clarify internal development processes, and increase understanding around the Company’s benefits as they relate to employees. Throughout 2022, we implemented programs in these three key areas in response, focusing on reducing workload with the help of digitization and robotic process automation; career pathing, i.e., connecting performance, interests and potential with meaningful development and succession planning; and developing and launching LivaNova’s employee value proposition, i.e., how we market to prospective talent and retain in a competitive job market. Our next survey will be distributed in the spring of 2023.
Development and Training
We attract, develop and retain employees who are aligned with our mission and values. In doing so, our talent strategy considers performance, values, accountability, transparency and differentiation, all of which are evaluated annually within the context of our performance management system. All employees undergo a robust onboarding program, and at any time, employees have access to a large offering of training on ethics and integrity, quality, product and other key topics and functions in the organization. Meanwhile, newly hired operators are onboarded and trained per requirements and processes specific to their jurisdiction and the product that is manufactured in their locations. Thereafter, they receive ongoing technical training to ensure they maintain excellent standards for production and manufacturing. In 2022, we expanded our suite of trainings to include the LivaNova Business System Academy which aims to teach lean methodologies and practices, i.e., promoting the flow of value to the customer through continuous improvement and respect for people.
An important factor in the Company’s future growth is our ability to develop and retain leaders. Our annual talent review process engages our employees to establish development plans and document their skills and capabilities, while managers assess employee potential, create succession plans, and identify possible career path opportunities. In 2022, we launched the LivaNova Commercial Academy, which focuses on the development of current and future leaders by way of a leadership bootcamp that covers real world scenarios, best practices and self-reflection modules over the course of fifteen working sessions. In addition, our own LivaNova University offers both mandatory and on-demand leadership, business strategy and functional skills courses and learning paths.
Finally, we offer internships and apprenticeships across functions around the globe which can, and do, lead to full-time employment. We believe in continuing education and development regardless of nationality and origin, which is why we partner with organizations to find new talent with hopes of welcoming future, full-time employees.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The success of LivaNova thrives on the diversity of perspective, thought, experience and background within our workforce. We recognize the value in fostering a work environment that is culturally diverse and inclusive and strive to provide a workplace free of harassment or discrimination. Accordingly, we closely monitor our gender metrics at the Board, Executive and senior leadership level on a regular basis. As of December 31, 2022, we had ten Directors on our Board, of whom 40% are female and 60% are male. Similarly, the Executive Team at the end of 2022 consisted of 11 individuals, approximately 27% of whom are female and approximately 73% are male. Of our senior leadership team, which includes the executive team, vice presidents and directors, approximately 32% are female and approximately 68% are male. Finally, as of December 31, 2022, of our approximately 2,900 employees, approximately 52% are female and approximately 48% are male. Our strategy for accelerating diversity begins with creating new ways to find extraordinary talent, and examples of our efforts include accurately mapping the talent market, targeting historically black colleges and universities, creating job postings that attract highly qualified diverse candidates, expanding the diversity within our interview panels and guiding interviewers to conduct a fair interview process.
In addition, we have a variety of diversity affinity initiatives that span the globe, with a mission to empower an environment where conversations of diversity and inclusion develop a culture of belonging. In July 2022, we launched the “Global Women’s Network”, a group consisting of female employees across the globe who convened to discuss topics that unite and celebrate the strength of our diversity. In addition, the LivaNova Women's Network, a mentorship program created by women and for women, facilitates pairings between mentors and mentees across all regions. Topics range from career and financial advice to performance management and connection to the Company’s strategy. These programs provide members with new perspectives, more personalized development and an opportunity to network with other women across the organization, thereby contributing to a better corporate culture based on strong, collaborative relationships and continuous opportunities to grow and develop.
In October 2022, we issued our Diversity and Inclusion statement: We embrace diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds, knowing they enrich our collaborative culture and drive our success as a company. Diversity and inclusion creates trust and a deeper sense of belonging to our LivaNova community, uniting us to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients worldwide. The statement was distributed to all leadership teams in the company to increase awareness, create engagement, and induce discussions about the company’s diversity and inclusion achievements and suggestions on where we can improve.
Health and Safety
We are committed to the safety and well-being of our employees. We rely on our environmental, health and safety management systems as well as our managers to oversee and ensure health and safety at their respective sites and foster a workplace culture to achieve that end. For onsite employees, we continue to follow safety measures including requesting that those with COVID-19 or exposure thereto, follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) or similar local recommendations prior to returning to work. For the remainder of our employees, we offer hybrid working patterns, allowing our employees across the globe - who can work from home - the flexibility to balance their personal and professional needs. We continue to actively monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and its variants and respond based on guidance from U.S. and global health organizations, relevant governmental guidance, and evolving practices.
Seasonality
The number of medical procedures incorporating our products is generally lower during the summer months, particularly in European countries, due to summer vacation schedules.
Available Information
Our executive headquarters are located at 20 Eastbourne Terrace, London, UK W2 6LG. Our website address is www.livanova.com. We make available free of charge on or through our website our Proxy Statements on Schedule 14A, Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, and reports relating to beneficial ownership of our securities filed or furnished pursuant to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such material with the SEC. Our website also contains the charters for each standing committee of our Board of Directors.
We may from time to time provide important disclosures to investors by posting them in the Investor Relations section of our website, as allowed by SEC rules. Information on our website is not incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about SEC registrants, including LivaNova.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Item 1A. Risk Factors
An investor should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC. Based on the information currently known to us, we believe the following information identifies the most significant risks affecting us, but the risks and uncertainties included below are not the only ones related to our businesses. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also adversely affect our business.
Risks Relating to the Company
Reductions and interruptions in supply chain in addition to increasing costs have, and may continue to, adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
We purchase many of the components and raw materials used in manufacturing our products from numerous suppliers in various countries. In some cases, we purchase specific components and raw materials from primary or main suppliers (or in some cases, a single or sole supplier) for reasons related to quality assurance, cost-effectiveness and availability. Any problem affecting a supplier (whether due to external or internal causes) could have a negative impact on us. Difficulties and delays in manufacturing, internally, externally or otherwise within the supply chain, may lead to voluntary or involuntary business interruptions or shutdowns, product shortages, withdrawals or suspensions of products from the market, and potential regulatory action.
Like many companies, we are experiencing supply chain delays and interruptions, labor shortages, inflationary pressures and logistical issues. While, to date, our supply of raw materials and the production and distribution of finished products have not been materially affected, demand and low capacity worldwide have caused longer lead times and put price pressure on key raw materials. Freight and labor costs at our manufacturing facilities have increased substantially in the wake of inflation globally. Moreover, the demand from industrial sectors on semiconductors is causing price increases and shortages on such items, which in turn, has impacted manufacturing in our Munich and Houston sites. In addition, the Ukraine conflict has resulted in high energy costs which are impacting suppliers and putting pressure on prices of raw materials. While we work closely with our suppliers to ensure supply continuity, minimize the instances in which we rely on a sole supplier and take other countermeasures - such as closely managing our inventory - to reduce our supply chain risk, we cannot guarantee that our efforts will always be successful, especially as a smaller company with lower bargaining power. Moreover, due to strict standards and regulations governing the manufacture and marketing of our products, we may not be able to locate new supply sources quickly or at all in response to a supply reduction or interruption, with negative effects on our ability to manufacture our products effectively and timely. To the extent we are unsuccessful in managing our supply chain, any such issues could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
We are subject to the risks of conducting business internationally.
We develop, manufacture, distribute and sell our products globally, and we intend to continue to pursue growth opportunities worldwide. Our international operations are subject to risks that are inherent in conducting business globally and under non-U.S. laws, regulations and customs. These risks include sanctions; greater exposure to inflation; rising interest rates; changes in energy prices; increased exposure to cyber-attacks and supply chain challenges; fluctuating exchange rates; local product changes and evolving requirements; longer-term receivables in local jurisdictions; difficulty enforcing agreements; greater exposure to creditworthiness of customers and local law enforcement of obligations; trade protection measures and import and export licensing requirements; failure to comply with anti-bribery laws; different labor regulations and workforce instability; higher danger of terrorist activity, war or civil unrest; selling our products through distributors and agents; and political and economic instability. As an example, Russia launched an invasion in Ukraine in 2022 which has negatively impacted our supply chain and operations in the region, caused the implementation of sanctions by the U.S. and other governments against Russia and Belarus and generated significant volatility and disruptions to the global markets. Any of the aforementioned risks could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
In addition to sanctions relating to Russia and Belarus, certain of our subsidiaries have engaged in business dealings in countries subject to comprehensive sanctions, including Iran, Sudan and Syria. These business dealings represent an insignificant amount of our consolidated revenues and income but expose us to a heightened risk of violating applicable sanctions regulations. Violations of these regulations are punishable by civil and criminal penalties including fines, denial of export privileges, injunctions, asset seizures, debarment from government contracts and revocations or restriction of licenses, as well as criminal fines and imprisonment. We have established policies and procedures designed to assist with our compliance with such laws and regulations, but there can be no assurance that our policies and procedures will prevent us from violating these regulations in every transaction in which we may engage, and such a violation could adversely affect our reputation, business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Our functional currency is the U.S. dollar; however, a portion of the revenues earned, and expenses incurred by certain of our subsidiaries are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. We determine the functional currency of our subsidiaries that exist and operate in different economic and currency environments based on the primary economic environment in which the subsidiary operates, that is, the currency of the environment in which an entity primarily generates and expends cash. For transactions denominated in currencies other than our functional currencies, fluctuations in the exchange rate may impact our results of operations and financial condition; for example in 2022, our net revenue and profitability were negatively affected by the unfavorable foreign currency exchange impact of the strengthened U.S. dollar against a number of currencies. Although in the future we may elect to hedge certain foreign currency exposure, we cannot be certain that the hedging activity will eliminate our currency risk.
In addition, in many of the countries where we operate, employees are covered by various laws and/or collective bargaining agreements that endow them, through their local or national representatives, with the right to be consulted in relation to specific issues, including the downsizing or closing of departments and staff reductions. The laws and/or collective bargaining agreements that are applicable to these agreements could have an impact on our flexibility, as they apply to programs to redefine and/or strategically reposition our activities. Our ability to implement staff downsizing programs or even temporary interruptions of employment relationships is predicated on the approval of government entities and the consent of labor unions. A negative response from a works council or union-organized work stoppages by employees could have a negative impact on our business.
The global medical device industry is highly competitive, and we may be unable to compete effectively.
We operate in a highly competitive market characterized by increasingly complex products that are expensive and time consuming to develop and manufacture. In the product lines in which we compete, we face a mixture of competitors ranging from large manufacturers with multiple business lines to small manufacturers that offer a limited selection of specialized products. Development by other companies of new or improved products, processes, or technologies, may make our products or proposed products less competitive. In addition, we face competition from providers of alternative medical therapies, such as pharmaceutical companies and providers of cannabis derived products, among others. Competitive factors include product quality, reliability and performance; product technology and innovation; breadth of product lines and product services; ability to identify new market trends; changes to the regulatory environment; cost-effectiveness and price; customer support and training; capacity to recruit engineers, scientists and other qualified employees; and reimbursement approval. Difficulties in any of these areas may cause our operations and financial condition to suffer.
Our products are subject to complex laws and regulations, and failure to obtain product approvals, clearance or reimbursement may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Our medical devices and technologies, as well as our business activities, are subject to a complex set of regulations and rigorous enforcement, including by the FDA, U.S. Department of Justice, Health and Human Services - Office of the Inspector General, and numerous other federal, state, and non-U.S. governmental authorities. To varying degrees, each of these agencies requires us to comply with laws and regulations governing the development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, reimbursement, marketing and distribution of our products. As a part of the marketing clearance, approval or reimbursement process for new products and new indications for existing products, we conduct numerous clinical trials with a variety of study designs, patient populations and trial endpoints. Unfavorable or inconsistent clinical data from existing or future clinical trials, or the markets’, FDA’s, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (“CMS’s”) or non-U.S. governmental authorities’ perception of such clinical data, may adversely impact our ability to obtain product approvals and receive reimbursement. Currently, for example, we are conducting the RECOVER clinical study - any delays or news regarding unfavorable or inconsistent data could have a material adverse effect on our business. Success in pre-clinical testing and early clinical studies does not always ensure that later clinical studies will be successful, as we experienced and announced, for instance, in connection with the VITARIA SYSTEM in the ANTHEM-HFrEF clinical trial, and we cannot be sure that later studies will replicate the results of prior studies. Any delay or termination of our clinical studies will delay the filing of regulatory submissions or requests for coverage determinations and, ultimately, our ability to commercialize new products or product modifications and obtain reimbursement for our products. It is also possible that patients enrolled in clinical studies will experience adverse side effects that are not currently part of the product’s profile, which could inhibit further marketing and development of such products.
Even if we are able to obtain approval, clearance and reimbursement, it may take a significant amount of time, require the expenditure of substantial resources, involve stringent clinical and pre-clinical testing and increased post-market surveillance, and/or involve modifications, repairs or replacements of our products or limitations on the proposed uses of our products. Ultimately, we cannot guarantee that our clinical trials will be successful or that we will be able to obtain or maintain marketing clearance for new products or modifications to existing products or reimbursement for new products or existing
products. Any such issues, whether in relation to trials, approvals, reimbursement or clearances, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Failure to comply with product-related government regulations may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Both before and after a product is commercially released, we have ongoing responsibilities under FDA and other applicable non-U.S. government agency regulations. For instance, many of our facilities and procedures and those of our suppliers are subject to periodic inspections by the FDA, which can result in inspectional observations on FDA’s Form-483, warning letters, or other forms of enforcement. If the FDA were to conclude that we are not in compliance with applicable laws or regulations, or that any of our medical products are ineffective or pose an unreasonable health risk, the FDA could ban such medical products, detain or seize adulterated or misbranded medical products, order a recall, repair, replacement, or refund of such products, refuse to grant pending PMA applications or require certificates of non-U.S. governments for exports, and/or require us to notify health professionals and others that the devices present unreasonable risks of substantial harm to the public health. For example, in 2015, we received a warning letter from the FDA alleging certain violations of FDA regulations, which resulted in certain devices that were manufactured in Munich, Germany, to be denied admission to the U.S. until resolution of the issues set forth by the FDA in the warning letter. See “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies” in our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for related information.
While we work diligently to manage our ongoing responsibilities, the FDA and other non-U.S. government agencies could assess civil or criminal penalties against us, our officers or employees and impose operating restrictions on a company-wide basis. The FDA could also recommend prosecution to the U.S. Department of Justice. An adverse regulatory action could restrict us from effectively marketing and selling our products, limit our ability to obtain future pre-market clearances or PMAs, and result in a substantial modification to our business practices and operations. These potential consequences, as well as any adverse outcome from government investigations, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
In addition, in the U.S., device manufacturers are prohibited from promoting their products for uses and indications that are not set forth in the approved product labeling (so called “off-label uses”). Our VNS Therapy System, for example, is indicated in the U.S., as an adjunctive therapy in reducing the frequency of seizures in patients 4 years of age and older with partial onset seizures that are refractory to antiepileptic medications, yet a number of physicians elect to prescribe our device for certain patients suffering from conditions outside the indications of our products. While physicians may exercise their discretion in prescribing a device off-label, a device manufacturer’s failure to comply with the related applicable regulations could subject us to significant civil or criminal exposure, administrative obligations and costs, and/or other potential penalties from, and/or agreements with, the federal government. Similarly, EU Reg MDR prohibits manufacturers from misleading users and patients by suggesting uses for the device other than those stated as part of the intended purpose for which the conformity assessment was carried out.
Governmental regulations outside the U.S. have, and may continue to become, increasingly stringent and common. In the EU, for example, EU Reg MDR became effective in 2021, resulting in significant additional premarket and post-market requirements which must be in place by May 2024 (though there is a proposal to extend the compliance deadline). During this transition period, the European Commission is allowing companies to use their Medical Device Directive (“MDD”) certifications. We are working to obtain all appropriate approvals in order to be fully compliant by the May 2024 deadline, as penalties for regulatory non-compliance can be severe, including fines and revocation or suspension of a company’s business license, mandatory price reductions and criminal sanctions. The development and implementation of future laws and regulations may have a material adverse effect on us.
If our marketed medical devices are defective or otherwise pose safety risks, the FDA and similar non-U.S. governmental authorities could require their recall or initiate an enforcement action, or we may initiate a recall of our products voluntarily.
The FDA and similar non-U.S. governmental authorities may require the recall of commercialized products in the event of material deficiencies or defects in design, software or manufacture or in the event that a product poses an unacceptable risk to health. Manufacturers, on their own initiative, may recall a product with a material deficiency, and we have initiated voluntary product recalls in the past. Any recall announcement could harm our reputation with customers and negatively affect our revenue. A recall could also impair our ability to produce our products in a cost-effective and timely manner. In the future, we may initiate voluntary withdrawal, removal or repair actions that we determine do not require notification as a recall. If a regulating authority were to disagree with our determinations, it could require us to report those actions as recalls.
In addition, depending on the corrective action taken to redress a device’s deficiencies or defects, regulators may require, or we may decide, that we need to obtain new approvals or clearances for the device before we market or distribute the corrected device. Seeking such approvals or clearances may delay our ability to replace the recalled devices in a timely manner. Any corrective action, whether voluntary or involuntary, or litigation, will require the dedication of our time and capital, distract management from operating the business, and may harm our reputation and financial results. Moreover, if we do not adequately address problems associated with our devices, we may face additional regulatory enforcement action, including FDA warning letters, product seizure, injunctions, administrative penalties, or civil or criminal fines, any or all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
As a manufacturer of medical devices, we are exposed to product liability claims that could adversely affect our consolidated financial condition and tarnish our reputation.
We manufacture and sell medical devices, both equipment and implantables, that pose product liability risks. Component failures, manufacturing defects, software errors, design flaws or inadequate disclosure of product-related risks or product or use-related information with respect to these or other products we manufacture, or sell could result in an unsafe condition, injury to, or death of, a patient. Such an event could result in product liability claims or a recall of, or safety alert relating to, one or more of our products. For example, as described in “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies” in our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we are involved in product liability litigation relating to our cardiopulmonary 3T Heater-Cooler product that may adversely affect our financial condition and may require us to devote significant resources to our defense of these claims. Although we are defending these matters vigorously, the outcome could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We have elected to self-insure with respect to a significant portion of our product liability risks and also hold global insurance policies to cover a portion of future potential losses. Product liability claims or product recalls in the future, regardless of their ultimate outcome, could have a material adverse effect on our business and reputation and on our ability to attract and retain customers for our products, and losses from product liability claims in the future could exceed our product liability insurance coverage and lead to a material adverse effect on our financial condition and liquidity. In addition, future unanticipated large liability claims may raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Global healthcare policy changes and reduction in reimbursement for products may have a material adverse effect on us.
In response to increases in healthcare costs, there have been and continue to be proposals by governments, regulators and third party payers to control these costs. These proposals have resulted in efforts to enact healthcare system reforms that may lead to pricing restrictions, payback requirements, limits on the amounts of reimbursement available for our products and limits on the acceptance and use of our products. As previously disclosed, for example, in 2015, the Italian Parliament introduced rules for entities that supply goods and services to the Italian National Healthcare System. This healthcare law impacts the business and financial reporting of medical technology sector companies that sell devices in Italy. A key provision of the law is a “payback” measure, requiring companies selling medical devices in Italy to repay a percentage of the healthcare expenditures exceeding the regional maximum caps for medical devices. While we are appealing the guidelines and requests for payment pursuant to the rule, we may not be successful. See “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies” in our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.
Our ability to commercialize our products is dependent, in large part, on whether third party payers, including private healthcare insurers, managed care plans, governmental programs and others agree to cover the costs and services associated with our products and related procedures in the U.S. and internationally. Third party payers, including private and government insurers, are increasingly requiring evidence that medical devices are cost-effective. If we are unable to demonstrate that our devices are cost-effective, third party payers may not reimburse the use of our products or not provide sufficient reimbursement for our products, which could reduce sales of our products to healthcare providers who depend upon reimbursement for payment for their services. Similarly, periodic changes to reimbursement methodologies could have an adverse impact on our business. Adoption of some or all of such healthcare policy and reimbursement proposals could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial position.
Our failure to comply with rules relating to reimbursement of healthcare goods and services, healthcare fraud and abuse, false claims and other applicable laws or regulations may subject us to penalties and limit patient access to our devices, thereby adversely impacting our reputation and business operations.
Our devices and therapies are subject to regulation by various governmental agencies worldwide responsible for coverage, reimbursement and regulation of healthcare goods and services, including laws and regulations related to kickbacks, false claims, self-referrals and healthcare fraud. Because our marketing practices involve direct promotion to patients in certain jurisdictions, we are subject to additional laws and regulations intended to prevent misleading patients and consumers
through unethical promotional activities and related data collection practices. Any failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject us or our officers and employees to criminal and civil financial penalties.
The risk of being found in violation of these laws is increased by the fact that many of them have not been fully interpreted by the regulatory authorities or the courts and their provisions are open to a variety of interpretations. Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and safe harbors available under such laws, it is possible that some of our business activities, including our relationships with surgeons and other healthcare providers, some of whom recommend, purchase and/or prescribe our devices, group purchasing organizations and our independent sales agents and distributors, could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. Even an allegation of impropriety could adversely impact our reputation and/or business operations.
Furthermore, our devices, products and therapies are purchased principally by hospitals or physicians that typically bill various third party payers, such as governmental healthcare programs (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid and comparable non-U.S. programs), private insurance plans and managed care plans, for the healthcare services provided to their patients. The ability of our customers to obtain appropriate reimbursement for products and services from third party payers is critical because it affects which products customers purchase and the prices they are willing to pay. As a result, our devices, products and therapies are subject to regulation regarding quality and cost by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including CMS, as well as comparable state and non-U.S. agencies responsible for reimbursement and regulation of healthcare goods and services, including laws and regulations related to kickbacks, false claims, self-referrals and healthcare fraud. In addition, as a manufacturer of U.S. FDA-approved devices reimbursable by federal healthcare programs, we are subject to the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which requires us to annually report certain payments and other transfers of value we make to U.S.-licensed physicians, U.S. teaching hospitals or other covered recipients. Any failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject us or our officers and employees to criminal and civil financial penalties.
Finally, we are subject to risks relating to changes in government and private medical reimbursement programs and policies, and changes in legal regulatory requirements in the U.S. and around the world. Implementation of further legislative or administrative reforms to these reimbursement systems, or adverse decisions relating to coverage of or reimbursement for our products by administrators of these systems, could have a material adverse impact on the acceptance of and demand for our products and the prices that our customers are willing to pay for them.
Cyber-attacks or other disruptions to our information technology systems could lead to reduced revenue, increased costs, liability claims, fines, harm to our competitive position and loss of reputation.
We are increasingly dependent on our information technology systems and those of third parties to operate our business, and certain products of ours include integrated software and information technology. Such dependencies have been exacerbated by remote working practices. We rely on information technology systems to collect and process customer orders, manage product manufacturing and shipping and support regulatory compliance, and we routinely process, store and transmit large amounts of data, including sensitive personal information, patient health information and confidential business information. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations but the size and complexity of our products and the information technology systems on which we rely make them vulnerable to cyber-attacks, breakdown, interruptions, destruction, loss or compromise of data, obsolescence or incompatibility among systems or other significant disruptions. Unauthorized persons routinely attempt to access our products or systems in order to disrupt, disable or degrade services, to obtain proprietary or confidential information, to make ransom demands, or to remotely disrupt or access the systems of large health care providers by exploiting our systems. We maintain an information security risk insurance policy and continue to enhance our information security programs. While we have not fallen victim to any material cyber-attacks, such an incident or an incident at a third-party vendor could compromise our networks and our information could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. The negative publicity resulting from such disruptions could significantly impact our reputation and stock price, and the financial consequences could have a material effect on our business.
In addition, from time to time, we may acquire or divest businesses. As a result of acquisitions, we may face risks due to implementation, modification, or remediation of controls, procedures and policies relating to data privacy and cybersecurity at the acquired company. We continue to consolidate and over time integrate the number of systems we operate, and to upgrade and expand our information system capabilities for stable and secure business operations. There can be no assurance that our process of consolidating, protecting, upgrading and expanding our systems and capabilities, continuing to build security into the design of our products, and developing new systems to keep pace with continuing changes in information processing technology will be successful or that additional systems issues will not arise in the future. Similarly, we may divest and have divested portions of our business, resulting in the migration of data and overlapping data obligations. As a result of such divestitures, we may face risks due to migration or modification of controls, procedures and policies relating to
data privacy and cybersecurity internally or enroute. Any significant breakdown, intrusion, interruption, corruption or destruction of these systems, as well as any data breaches, could have a material adverse effect on our business.
The costs of complying with the requirements of federal, state and foreign laws pertaining to the privacy and security of personal information, including health related information and the potential liability associated with failure to do so, could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
There is significant regulatory and enforcement focus on data protection in the U.S. (at both the state and federal level) and abroad, and an actual or alleged failure to comply with applicable U.S. or foreign data protection regulations or other data protection standards may expose us to litigation (including, in some instances, class action litigation), fines, sanctions or other penalties, which could harm our reputation and adversely impact our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. We collect, store and handle patient data, including sensitive health information, and this regulatory environment is increasingly challenging and may present material obligations and risks to our business, including significantly expanded compliance burdens, costs and enforcement risks. If we are unable to ensure personal information is lawfully collected, stored, handled and secured with reliable information technology systems to prevent data breaches, particularly given the increased risks associated with sensitive health information, we may suffer legal and regulatory consequences in addition to business consequences. Our worldwide operations mean that we are subject to various data protection and cyber-security laws and regulations in many jurisdictions, including but not limited to the HIPAA, CCPA, Brazilian General Data Protection Law, and GDPR. Other governments have enacted, amended or are enacting similar data protection laws, including data localization laws that require data to stay within their borders and other technical and operational adaptions that may be required given the rapid changes in data protection regulation where we conduct business. Despite programs to comply with such laws and regulations and our purchase of a cyber insurance policy, there is no guarantee that we will avoid enforcement actions by governmental bodies or that we will continue to maintain a cyber insurance policy, as result of cost, availability or other considerations. Enforcement actions may be costly and interrupt regular operations of our business. In addition, there is a trend of civil lawsuits and class actions relating to breaches of consumer data or other cyber-attacks pursuant to laws such as CCPA. While we have not been named in any such lawsuits, if a breach or loss of data occurs, we could become a target of civil litigation or government enforcement actions.
The failure to comply with anti-bribery laws could materially adversely affect our business and result in civil and/or criminal sanctions.
Our operations are subject to anti-corruption laws, including the UK Bribery Act, the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws that apply in countries where we do business, that generally prohibit us and our employees and intermediaries from bribing, being bribed or making other prohibited payments to government officials or other persons to obtain or retain business or gain some other business advantage. Because of the predominance of government-administered healthcare systems in many parts of the world outside the U.S., many of our customer relationships are potentially subject to such laws.
We are, therefore, exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, principal investigators, consultants, vendors, independent sales agents and distributors may engage in fraudulent or other illegal activity in violation of these laws and our Code of Conduct. We maintain policies and programs to educate our employees and agents on these legal requirements, and to prevent and prohibit improper practices. However, existing safeguards and any future improvements may not always be effective, and our employees, consultants, sales agents or distributors may engage in conduct for which we could be held responsible. In addition, regulators could seek to hold us liable for conduct committed by companies in which we invest or that we acquire. It is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by our employees and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws or regulations.
Global enforcement of anti-corruption laws has increased substantially in recent years, with more frequent voluntary self- disclosures by companies, aggressive investigations and enforcement proceedings by governmental agencies, and assessment of significant fines and penalties against companies and individuals. We cannot predict the nature, scope or effect of future regulatory requirements to which our international operations might be subject or the manner in which existing laws might be administered or interpreted. Any alleged or actual violations of these laws and regulations may subject us to government scrutiny, severe criminal or civil sanctions and other liabilities, including exclusion from government contracting or government healthcare programs, and could negatively affect our reputation, business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
We are subject to environmental laws and regulations and the risk of environmental liabilities, violations, protest voting and litigation in multiple jurisdictions, any of which could have a material impact on our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and liquidity.
Certain environmental laws assess liability on current, prior and/or related owners or operators of real property for the costs or investigation, removal or remediation of hazardous substances at their properties or at properties on which they have disposed of hazardous substances. It is also possible that a governmental authority may seek to hold us liable for successor liability violations committed by any companies in which we invest or that we acquire. For example, our Saluggia campus contains hazardous substances as a result of nuclear installations, built in 1960 under previous ownership, and the Italian Government has stated that we will eventually be responsible for dismantling the nuclear installation on Company property, as well as delivering the aforementioned waste to a national repository. In addition, we are currently in litigation with the government in Italy stemming from a civil action where the Court of Appeal in Milan (“Court of Appeal”) declared LivaNova (formed through a merger with Sorin) liable for environmental liabilities incurred by SNIA’s (a former parent company of Sorin) other subsidiaries. In November 2021, the Court of Appeal delivered the remainder of its decision, ordering LivaNova to pay damages of approximately €453.6 million (approximately $484.9 million as of December 31, 2022). LivaNova appealed both the liability and damages decisions, which will be decided together at the Italian Supreme Court. In February 2022, the Court of Appeal granted a stay on the demand for payment from the Public Administrations pending resolution of the Company’s appeal on liability and damages. The stay was granted with the condition that the Company provide a first demand bank guarantee of €270.0 million (approximately $288.6 million as of December 31, 2022) within 30 calendar days, which was promptly delivered. See “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies” in our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding these two matters. Our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and liquidity could be materially adversely affected by a negative decision in the case of SNIA and could be adversely affected by an increase in anticipated costs relating to transportation of hazardous waste in Saluggia. Private parties could also bring personal injury or other claims due to the presence of, or exposure to, hazardous substances.
In addition, our operations involve the use of substances regulated under environmental laws, including for purposes of sterilization. Regulations require sterilization of our products, and in 2021, we unveiled our new sterilization facility in Colorado allowing the Company to sterilize certain of its products in-house. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and certain states have begun scrutinizing the levels of community exposure to ethylene oxide (“EtO”). Certain medical device operating facilities have been designated as “elevated risk” facilities, based on emission levels of EtO. LivaNova is not on the “elevated risk” list, nor is it in violation of any current local or federal regulations. However, to the extent we or our contract sterilizers are unable to sterilize our products, whether due to regulatory, legislative, or other constraints, including on the use of EtO, we may be unable to transition to alternative internal or external resources or methods in a timely or cost-effective manner or at all, which could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial condition.
Our inability to attract and retain highly skilled and experienced personnel could negatively impact our ability to effectively manage and expand our business.
We depend heavily on the contributions of the principal members of our business, such as senior management, manufacturing, sales, marketing, and R&D positions, many of whom would be difficult to replace. Each of these persons’ individual and collective efforts is critical to us as we continue to develop our products and expand our commercial activities and business operations. Our key personnel include our senior officers and executive management team, many of whom have very specialized scientific, medical or operational knowledge. The loss of any key personnel could negatively impact our results of operations, particularly if we experience difficulties in hiring qualified successors.
Furthermore, competition for experienced employees in the medical device industry, particularly for persons with specialized skills, can be intense. Our ability to recruit such talent will depend on a number of factors, including compensation and benefits, work location and work environment. If we cannot effectively recruit and retain qualified executives and employees, our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be adversely affected.
We cannot guarantee that our internal R&D efforts and those R&D efforts that rely on investments and investment collaborations will be successful.
Our strategy to provide a broad range of therapies to restore patients to fuller, healthier lives requires a wide variety of technologies, products and capabilities. The rapid pace of technological development in the medical industry and the specialized expertise required in different areas of medicine make it difficult for one company alone to develop a broad portfolio of technological solutions. As a result, we also rely on investments and investment collaborations to provide us access to new technologies.
If we fail to develop innovative new and enhanced products and services on a timely basis, our offerings will become obsolete over time and our business and financial results would be negatively impacted. Our success depends on several factors, including our ability to appropriately allocate our R&D funding to products and services with higher growth prospects, for example, further incorporation of software; hire and retain the necessary R&D talent; stimulate customer demand for and convince customers to adopt new technologies; innovate and develop new technologies and applications; and acquire or obtain third-party technologies that may have valuable applications in the markets that we serve.
We expect to make investments where we believe that we can stimulate the development of, or acquire, new technologies and products to further our strategic objectives and strengthen our existing businesses. Investments and investment collaborations in and with medical technology companies are inherently risky, and we cannot guarantee that any of our previous or future acquisitions, investments or investment collaborations will be successful or will not materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Increasing attention on environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) matters may have a material impact on our reputation and business operations, impose additional costs on us, and expose us to additional risks.
There is a heightened focus from stakeholders, including regulators and shareholders, on issues relating to ESG matters, including environmental stewardship, social responsibility, diversity and inclusion, and corporate governance matters. In addition, organizations that provide information to investors on corporate governance and related matters have developed ratings processes for evaluating companies on their approach to ESG matters. Unfavorable ESG ratings may lead to negative investor sentiment toward the Company, which could have a negative impact on our stock price and our access to and costs of capital. Increasing attention on ESG issues related to our business requires the continuous monitoring of various and evolving laws, regulations, standards and expectations and the associated reporting requirements. A failure to adequately meet stakeholder expectations may result in noncompliance, reputational impacts, the loss of business and a diluted market valuation. In addition, our adoption of certain standards or mandated compliance to certain requirements could necessitate additional investments that could impact our profitability.
If our ESG initiatives fail to satisfy investors, customers, or other stakeholders, our reputation, our ability to sell products and services to customers, and our attractiveness as an investment, business partner or acquirer could be negatively impacted. Similarly, our failure to fulfill our ESG goals, targets and objectives or to satisfy various reporting standards could also have similar negative impacts on our reputation, business and result of operations.
The impact of pending or existing climate change resulting from increased concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could present major risks to our future operations.
The physical impacts of natural disasters and extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, winter storms, wildfires or flooding could pose physical risks to our facilities, temporarily reduce demand, disrupt our supply chain operations and our suppliers’ operations, and negatively impact operational costs. Additionally, the impacts of climate change on global water resources may result in water scarcity, which could impact our ability to access sufficient quantities of water in manufacturing locations and result in increased costs. As new legal and regulatory requirements designed to mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment are increasing, they may impose obligations which may increase our compliance burdens and costs to meet these obligations. Individually or in the aggregate, such risks could materially negatively impact our future operations.
Quality concerns with our processes, goods, and services could harm our reputation for producing high-quality products and erode our competitive advantage, sales, and market share.
Quality is extremely important to us and our customers due to the serious and costly consequences of product failure. Our quality certifications are critical to the marketing success of our goods and services. If we fail to meet these standards, our reputation could be damaged, we could lose customers, and our revenue and results of operations could decline. Aside from specific customer standards, our success depends generally on our ability to manufacture precision-engineered components, sub-assemblies, and finished products to exact tolerances and from multiple materials. If our components fail to meet these standards or fail to adapt to evolving standards, our reputation as a manufacturer of high-quality components will be harmed, our competitive advantage could be damaged, and we could lose customers and market share.
We are substantially dependent on patent and other proprietary rights and failing to protect such rights or to be successful in litigation related to our rights or the rights of others may result in our payment of significant monetary damages and/or royalty payments, negatively impact our ability to sell current or future products, or prohibit us from enforcing our patent and other proprietary rights against others.
We rely on a combination of patents, trade secrets, and non-disclosure and non-competition agreements to protect our proprietary intellectual property, and we will continue to do so. While we intend to defend against any threats to our intellectual property, any litigation to counter the infringement, misappropriation, or unauthorized use of our intellectual property may require the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources, which may adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. Additionally, our patents, trade secrets, or other agreements may not prevent competitors from independently developing or selling similar products and services and may not adequately deter misappropriation or improper use of our technology. Further, pending patent applications may not result in patents being issued to us. Patents issued to or licensed by us in the past or in the future may be challenged or circumvented by competitors and such patents may be found invalid, unenforceable or insufficiently broad to protect our technology and may limit our competitive advantage. Third parties could obtain patents that may require us to negotiate licenses to conduct our business, and the required licenses may not be available on reasonable terms or at all.
We also rely on non-disclosure and non-competition agreements with certain employees, consultants and other parties to protect, in part, trade secrets and other proprietary rights. We cannot be certain that these agreements will not be breached, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information, or that third parties will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or proprietary knowledge. Further, new proposed regulations in the U.S. would prohibit certain competition agreements, and if final regulations are adopted as proposed and enforced, we may not be able to rely on such agreements with certain of our employees or other parties.
We operate in an industry characterized by extensive patent litigation and are subject to patent claims from time to time. While we intend to defend against any third-party intellectual property threats, intellectual property litigation is inherently complex and unpredictable. Such litigation can result in significant damage awards and injunctions that could prevent our manufacture and sale of affected products or require us to pay significant royalties in order to continue to manufacture or sell affected products.
In addition, the laws and intellectual property systems of certain countries in which we market some of our products do not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as in the U.S., which may impact our market position in those countries. We could also face competition in countries where we have not invested in an intellectual property portfolio, or where we have not invested in the same protection as in the U.S. If we are unable to protect our intellectual property in those countries, it could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
COVID-19 has had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, the nature and extent of which are uncertain and unpredictable.
While we have seen improvement in demand for our products and resumption of our clinical trials as the strength of COVID-19 and its variants have waned, the pandemic and its effects on the economy, employment, patient behaviors and supply chain, among others, has had an adverse effect on, and may continue to impact our business. Please refer to the section entitled “Reductions and interruptions in supply chain in addition to increasing costs have, and may continue to, adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition” above.
The Company continues to respond to such challenges, and while we have business continuity plans in place, the impact of the ongoing challenges we are experiencing, along with their potential escalation, may adversely affect our business. The future impact of pandemic-related developments remains uncertain, and we continue to monitor relevant conditions as there can be no assurances that there will not be delays or closures of clinical sites, variable demand for products or material impacts on our supply chain should COVID-19 or its reverberating impacts on the economy strengthen or reemerge.
Our inability to integrate recently acquired businesses or to successfully complete and integrate future acquisitions could limit our future growth or otherwise be disruptive to our ongoing business.
From time to time, we acquire businesses and may pursue acquisitions in support of our strategic goals. There can be no assurance that acquisition opportunities will be available on acceptable terms or at all, or that we will be able to obtain necessary financing or regulatory approvals to complete potential acquisitions. The success of any acquisition, investment or alliance may be affected by a number of factors, including our ability to properly assess and value the potential business opportunity or to successfully integrate any businesses we may acquire into our existing business. The integration of the
operations of acquired businesses requires significant efforts, including the coordination of information technologies, human resources, R&D, sales and marketing, operations, manufacturing, legal, compliance and finance. These efforts result in additional expenses and involve significant amounts of management’s time that cannot then be dedicated to other projects. Failure to manage and coordinate the growth of the combined company successfully could also have an adverse impact on our business. In addition, we cannot be certain that our investments, alliances and acquired businesses will become profitable or remain so. If our investments, alliances or acquisitions are not successful, we may incur costs in excess of what we anticipate.
We may incur impairments of intangible assets and goodwill that may adversely affect our financial results.
We review, when circumstances warrant, the carrying amounts of our intangible assets to determine whether those carrying amounts continue to be recoverable in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Significant negative industry or economic trends, disruptions to our businesses, significant unexpected or planned changes in the use of assets, divestitures and market capitalization declines, among other events, may result in impairments to goodwill and other intangible assets. Recent impairments have significantly affected our financial results, and future impairments could significantly affect reported financial results.
As of December 31, 2022, the carrying value of our net intangible assets and goodwill totaled $1.1 billion, which represented 49.6% of our total assets. During the quarter ended September 30, 2022, we determined the goodwill associated with our ACS reporting unit was impaired, and as a result, recorded an impairment of $129.4 million. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we entered into a Purchase Agreement for the divestiture of certain of LivaNova’s subsidiaries as well as certain other assets and liabilities relating to the Company’s Heart Valve business that resulted in an impairment of the Heart Valves disposal group of $180.2 million and a $21.3 million goodwill impairment. For additional information, please refer to “Note 5. Divestiture of Heart Valve Business” in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The success and continuing development of our products depend on maintaining strong relationships with physicians and healthcare professionals.
If we fail to maintain our working relationships with physicians and other healthcare professionals, our products may not be developed and marketed in line with the needs and expectations of the professionals who use and support our products. Physicians assist us as researchers, marketing consultants, product consultants, inventors and public speakers, and we rely on these professionals to provide us with considerable knowledge and experience. If we are unable to maintain these strong relationships, the development and marketing of our products could suffer, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Inadequate funding for U.S. federal government agencies and government shutdowns could negatively affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, ability to hire and retain key personnel, government shutdowns and statutory, regulatory and policy changes. In addition, a portion of our revenue is dependent on U.S. federal government healthcare program reimbursement. Any disruption in U.S. federal government operations, including government shutdowns, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Risks Related to our Indebtedness
Paying amounts due in cash in respect of our outstanding Notes on interest payment dates, at maturity and upon exchange thereof will require a cash payment. We may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to pay when due, or raise the funds necessary to pay when due, amounts owed in respect of the Notes or any amounts owed under our revolving credit facility and term facilities, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
On June 17, 2020, our wholly-owned subsidiary, LivaNova USA, Inc., issued $287.5 million aggregate principal amount of 3.00% 2020 Cash Exchangeable Senior Notes (the “Notes”) due in 2025. The ability to make scheduled payments of interest on, and principal of, to satisfy exchanges for cash in respect of, and/or to refinance, our outstanding Notes or other indebtedness (including any indebtedness under our revolving credit facility or term facilities) depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. (For further information on our term facilities, please refer to “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the section entitled “Liquidity and Capital Resources”). If we are unable to generate enough cash flow to make payments on the Notes or other indebtedness when due, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets or obtaining additional debt financing or equity capital on
terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance the Notes or other indebtedness, which we may need to do in order to satisfy our obligations thereunder, will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on the Notes or our revolving credit facility or term facilities.
The holders of the Notes have the right to require us to repurchase their Notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change (as defined in the indenture governing the Notes (the “Indenture”)) at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. Upon repurchase of the Notes, we will be required to make cash payments as required by the Indenture. We may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make repurchases of, or exchange of, the Notes for cash. Our failure to repurchase the Notes or exchange the Notes for cash at a time when the repurchase or exchange is required by the Indenture governing the Notes would constitute a default under such Indenture.
In addition, our indebtedness including under the Notes, combined with our other financial obligations and contractual commitments including those under our revolving credit facility or term facilities, could have other important consequences. For example, it could:
•Make us more vulnerable to adverse changes in government regulation and in the worldwide economic, industry and competitive environment;
•Limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and our industry;
•Place us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors who have less debt;
•Limit our ability to borrow additional amounts to fund acquisitions, for working capital and for other general corporate purposes; and
•Make an acquisition of the Company less attractive or more difficult.
Any of these factors could harm our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. In addition, if we incur additional indebtedness under the revolving credit facility or term facilities, the risks related to our business and our ability to repay our indebtedness including under the Notes would increase. For additional information, please refer to “Note 11. Financing Arrangements” in the consolidated financial statements in this Annual report on Form 10-K.
The conditional exchange features of the Notes if triggered, may adversely affect our liquidity and operating results.
If the conditional exchange feature of the Notes is triggered, holders of Notes are entitled to exchange the Notes at any time during specified periods, at their option. Holders of the Notes for example, are entitled to exchange the Notes during any calendar quarter, if the last reported sale price of LivaNova’s ordinary shares, with a nominal value of £1.00 per share for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the exchange price - the exchange price being $60.98 per share and the “conversion trigger” (subject to other conditions per the Indenture) being $79.27 per share - on each applicable trading day. The exchange condition was not satisfied on December 31, 2022, and therefore, exchangeability is not an option from January 1, 2023 through March 31, 2023. If holders elect to exchange their Notes during future periods following the satisfaction of an exchange condition as laid out in the Indenture, we would be required to settle our exchange obligation through the payment of cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity.
Our debt instruments require us to comply with affirmative covenants and specified financial covenants and ratios and other obligations.
Certain restrictions and covenants in our debt instruments, including our revolving credit facility or term facilities, could affect our ability to operate and may limit our ability to react to market conditions or to take advantage of potential business opportunities as they arise. For example, such restrictions could adversely affect our ability to finance our operations, make strategic acquisitions, investments or alliances, restructure our organization or finance capital needs. Additionally, our ability to comply with these covenants and restrictions may be affected by events beyond our control, such as prevailing economic, financial, regulatory and industry conditions. If any of these restrictions or covenants is breached, we could be in default under one or more of our debt instruments, which, if not cured or waived, could result in acceleration of the indebtedness under such agreements and cross defaults under our other debt instruments. (For more information on these debt instruments, please refer to “Note 11. Financing Arrangements.”)
The effective interest expense reported in our consolidated financial statement of operations is significantly greater than the stated interest rates of the Notes and may result in volatility to our reported financial results, which could adversely affect the price at which our ordinary shares trade.
We will settle exchanges of the Notes entirely in cash. Accordingly, the exchange feature that is part of the Notes is accounted for as a derivative pursuant to accounting standards relating to derivative instruments. This resulted in an initial valuation of the exchange feature, which was bifurcated from the debt component of the Notes, resulting in an original issue discount. The original issue discount is amortized and recognized as a component of interest expense over the term of the Notes, which results in an effective interest rate reported in our consolidated statements of operations in excess of the stated interest rate of the Notes. Although this accounting treatment does not affect the amount of cash interest paid to holders of the Notes or our cash flows, it reduces our earnings and could adversely affect the price at which our ordinary shares trade.
Additionally, for each financial statement period after issuance of the Notes, a derivative gain or loss is and will be reported in our consolidated statements of income (loss) to the extent the valuation of the exchange feature changes from the previous period. The capped call transactions described below and elsewhere in this annual report are also accounted for as derivative instruments. The valuation of the exchange feature of the Notes and capped call transactions utilizes significant observable and unobservable market inputs, including stock price, stock price volatility, risk-free interest rate, and time to expiration of the Notes. The change of inputs at period end from the previous period may result in a material change of the valuation and the gain or loss resulting from the exchange feature of the Notes and capped call transactions may not completely offset each other. As such, there may be a material net impact to our consolidated statements of operations, which could adversely affect the price at which our ordinary shares trade.
The arbitrage or hedging strategy by purchasers of the Notes and Option Counterparties in connection with our capped call transactions may affect the value of our ordinary shares.
We expect that many investors in, and potential purchasers of the Notes will employ, or seek to employ, an arbitrage strategy with respect to the Notes. Investors would typically implement such a strategy by selling short our ordinary shares underlying the Notes and dynamically adjusting their short position while continuing to hold the Notes. Investors may also implement this type of strategy by entering into swaps on our ordinary shares in lieu of or in addition to selling short our ordinary shares. This activity could decrease (or reduce the size of any increase in) the market price of our ordinary shares at that time.
In connection with the pricing of the Notes, we entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions with certain financial institutions (the “Option Counterparties”). The capped call transactions are expected generally to offset cash payments due upon exchange of the Notes in excess of the principal amount thereof in the event that the market value per ordinary share of the Company is at the time of exchange of the Notes greater than the strike price under the capped call transactions, with such offset subject to a cap based on the cap price. We understand the Option Counterparties, or their respective affiliates, in connection with establishing their initial hedges of the capped call transactions, purchased our ordinary shares and/or entered into various derivative transactions with respect to our ordinary shares concurrently with or shortly after the pricing of the Notes. The Option Counterparties or their respective affiliates may modify these initial hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to our ordinary shares and/or purchasing or selling our ordinary shares or other securities of ours in secondary market transactions prior to the maturity of the Notes (and are likely to do so during any observation period related to an exchange of the Notes or upon a repurchase or redemption of the Notes). This activity could cause or avoid an increase or decrease in the market price of our ordinary shares at that time.
We are subject to counterparty risk with respect to the capped call transactions.
The Option Counterparties are financial institutions, and we are subject to the risk that they might default under the capped call transactions. Our exposure to the credit risk of the Option Counterparties is not secured by any collateral.
If an Option Counterparty becomes subject to insolvency proceedings, we will become an unsecured creditor in those proceedings, with a claim equal to our exposure at that time under the capped call transactions with that Option Counterparty. Our exposure will depend on many factors but, generally, an increase in our exposure will be correlated to an increase in the market price and in the volatility of our ordinary shares. In addition, upon a default by an Option Counterparty, we may suffer adverse tax consequences and may, on a net basis, have to pay more cash to settle exchanges of the Notes. We can provide no assurances as to the financial stability or viability of the Option Counterparties.
Risks Relating to Tax and Our Jurisdiction of Incorporation
We are incorporated in England and Wales and governed by their laws which may afford less protection to shareholders than under U.S. laws.
Being that we are a public limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales, our shareholders may have more difficulty protecting their interests than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction of the United States. It may be difficult to enforce any court judgments obtained in the U.S. against us in the U.K. based on the civil liability provisions of U.S. federal or state securities laws. In addition, there is also some uncertainty as to whether the courts of U.K. would recognize or enforce judgements of U.S. courts obtained against us or any of our directors or officers.
Changes in tax laws or exposure to additional income tax liabilities could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to income taxes as well as non-income-based taxes in the U.S., the UK, the EU and various other jurisdictions. No assurances can be given as to what our worldwide effective corporate tax rate will be because of, among other things, uncertainty regarding the tax regulations and laws, enactment and enforceability thereof and policies of the jurisdictions where we operate. Our actual effective tax rate may vary from our expectations or from historical trends and that variance may be material. Our effective tax rates could be affected by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities or changes in tax laws or their interpretation. We are also subject to ongoing tax audits in various non-U.S. jurisdictions. Tax authorities may disagree with certain positions we have taken and assess additional taxes. We believe that our accruals reflect the probable outcome of known contingencies. However, there can be no assurance that we will accurately predict the outcomes of ongoing audits, and the actual outcomes of these audits could have a material impact on our consolidated statements of income (loss) or financial condition.
The IRS may not agree with the conclusion that we should be treated as a foreign corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes, and we may be required to pay substantial U.S. federal income taxes.
Based on our management and organizational structure, we believe that we should be regarded as a resident exclusively in the UK for tax purposes and that we are appropriately treated as a foreign corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes. Although we are incorporated in the UK, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) may assert that we should be treated as a U.S. corporation (and, therefore, a U.S. tax resident) for U.S. federal tax purposes. If we were to be treated as a U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we could be subject to substantially greater U.S. tax liability than currently contemplated as a non-U.S. corporation.
The IRS may limit Cyberonics’ and its U.S. affiliates’ ability to utilize their U.S. tax attributes as a result of the merger of Cyberonics and Sorin.
The merger of Cyberonics and Sorin is considered an inversion for tax purposes. The U.S. Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) and regulations under the IRC impose a minimum level of tax on any “inversion gain” of a U.S. corporation (and any U.S. person related to the U.S. corporation) depending on the resulting percentage ownership by U.S. persons of the merged company. The effect of this provision in the IRC is to deny the use of certain U.S. tax attributes (including net operating losses and certain tax credits) to offset U.S. tax liability, if any, attributable to such inversion gain. In our case, we believe that the former stockholders of Cyberonics own less than the IRC’s stated percentage of the Company. However, it cannot be assured that the IRS will agree with our position.
As an English public limited company, certain capital structure decisions require shareholder approval, which may limit our flexibility to manage our capital structure.
We are a public limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales. Under English law, our Board of Directors may only allot shares with the prior authorization of shareholders. English law also generally provides shareholders with preemptive rights when new shares are issued for cash, which rights may be excluded by shareholders. In addition, English law generally prohibits a public company from repurchasing its own shares without the prior approval of shareholders. As a result, our shareholders must approve these authorities at an annual general meeting of shareholders. If we do not receive shareholder approval of these matters, we may not be able to raise additional capital in a timely manner or at all, if, and as needed, to fund our operations. In addition, we may not be able to continue to grant equity awards to directors under the relevant incentive plan.
Transfers of our shares, other than ones effected by means of the transfer of book-entry interests in the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), may be subject to UK Stamp Duty or UK Stamp Duty Reserve Tax (“SDRT”).
Transfers of our shares effected by means of the transfer of book-entry interests in DTC are not subject to UK stamp duty or SDRT. However, if a shareholder holds our shares directly rather than through DTC, any transfer of shares could be subject to UK stamp duty or SDRT at a rate of 0.5% of the consideration paid for the transfer and certain issues or transfers of shares to depositories or into clearance services are charged at a rate of 1.5% of the consideration paid for the transfer, or 1.5% of the market value of the shares if there is no consideration. The transferee generally pays the UK stamp duty or SDRT. The potential for UK stamp duty or SDRT could adversely affect the trading price of our shares.
If DTC determines at any time that our shares are not eligible for continued deposit and clearance within its facilities, then we believe that our shares would not be eligible for continued listing on a U.S. securities exchange and trading in our shares would be disrupted. While we would pursue alternative arrangements to preserve the listing and maintain trading, any such disruption could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of our shares.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Item 2. Properties
Our principal executive office is located in the UK and is leased by us. Our business segments have headquarters located in the U.S. for Neuromodulation and Advanced Circulatory Support and Italy for Cardiopulmonary. We have manufacturing and research facilities located in Brazil, Germany, Italy, Australia and the U.S. Our manufacturing and research facilities are approximately 1.0 million square feet. The manufacturing and research facilities located in the U.S., Italy and Brazil are substantially owned by us. Approximately 46% of our manufacturing and research facilities by square feet are located within the U.S. Approximately 57% of our manufacturing and research facilities by square feet are owned by us and the balance is leased.
We also maintain 25 primary administrative offices in 18 countries. Most of these locations are leased. We are using substantially all of our currently available productive space to develop, manufacture and market our products. We believe that all of our facilities are in good operating condition, suitable for their respective uses and adequate for current needs.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Information pertaining to certain material pending legal and regulatory proceedings and settlements is incorporated herein by reference to “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies” in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and should be considered an integral part of “Item 3 of Part I” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Our ordinary shares are quoted on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “LIVN.”
As of February 17, 2023, according to data provided by our transfer agent, there were 20 stockholders of record. A substantially greater number of holders of our ordinary shares are “street name” or beneficial holders, whose shares of record are held by banks, brokers and other financial institutions.
Dividend Policy
We currently have no intention to declare and pay dividends.
Issuer Purchases of Securities
None.
Stock Performance Graph
The following graph compares our five-year cumulative total return with the five-year cumulative total return of the companies on the Standard & Poor’s (“S&P’s”) 500 Index and the companies on the S&P Health Care Equipment Index. This graph assumes the investment of $100 on December 31, 2017 and the reinvestment of all dividends since that date.
The information under the caption “Stock Performance Graph” above is not deemed to be “filed” as part of the Annual Report on Form 10-K and is not subject to the liability provisions of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Such information will not be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing we make under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, unless we explicitly incorporate it into such filing at such time.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6. [Reserved]

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the corresponding notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain percentages presented in this discussion and analysis are calculated from the underlying whole-dollar amounts and therefore may not be recalculated from the rounded numbers used for disclosure purposes. The following discussion, analysis and comparisons generally focus on the operating results for the years ended December 31, 2022 (“2022”), December 31, 2021 (“2021”) and December 31, 2020 (“2020”).
We have elected to omit certain discussions on the earliest of the three years covered in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Refer to Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations located in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed on March 1, 2022, for reference to discussion of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, the earliest of the three fiscal years presented.
Macroeconomic Environment
The current macroeconomic environment, including foreign exchange volatility, supply chain challenges, rising inflation, and geopolitical instability, has impacted and may continue to impact our business. In 2022, our net revenue and profitability were negatively affected by the unfavorable foreign currency exchange impact of the strengthened United States (“U.S.”) dollar against a number of currencies. Furthermore, we continue to experience supply chain delays and interruptions, labor shortages, inflationary pressures and logistical issues in the wake of COVID-19. Though, to date, our supply of raw materials and the production and distribution of finished products have not been materially affected, demand and low capacity worldwide have caused longer lead times and put price pressure on key raw materials. Moreover, freight and labor costs at our manufacturing facilities have increased substantially due to COVID-related disruptions and in the wake of inflation globally. The Company continues to respond to such challenges, and while we have business continuity plans in place, the impact of the ongoing challenges we are experiencing, along with their potential escalation, may adversely affect our business. The future impact of pandemic-related developments remains uncertain.
In February 2022, Russia launched an invasion in Ukraine which caused us to assess our ability to sell in the market due to international sanctions, to consider the potential impact of raw material sourced from the region, and to determine whether we are able to transact in a compliant fashion. Although the region represented only 1.0% of our total net revenue for 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has increased economic uncertainties, and a significant escalation or continuation of the conflict could have a material, global impact on our operating results. In addition, our Russian employees and local subsidiary are subject to evolving laws and regulations imposed by the Russian authorities in response to international sanctions. For further discussion on these macroeconomic pressures and potential implications, refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Description of the Business
We are a public limited company organized under the laws of England and Wales and headquartered in London, England. We are a global medical device company. We design, develop, manufacture and sell products and therapies that are consistent with our mission to provide hope for patients and their families through innovative medical technologies, delivering life-changing improvements for both the Head and Heart.
Background
We were organized under the laws of England and Wales on February 20, 2015 for the purpose of facilitating the business combination of Cyberonics, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and Sorin S.p.A. (“Sorin”), a joint stock company organized under the laws of Italy. The business combination became effective in October 2015. LivaNova’s ordinary shares are listed for trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “LIVN.”
Business Segments
LivaNova is comprised of three reportable segments: Cardiopulmonary, Neuromodulation and Advanced Circulatory Support, corresponding to our primary business units. Other includes corporate shared service expenses for finance, legal, human resources, information technology and corporate business development. For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, Other also includes the results of our Heart Valve business, which was divested on June 1, 2021.
Cardiopulmonary
Our Cardiopulmonary segment is engaged in the development, production and sale of cardiopulmonary products, including heart-lung machines (“HLM”), oxygenators, autotransfusion systems, perfusion tubing systems, cannulae and other related accessories. It includes the development of the Essenz Perfusion System, our next-generation HLM and a patient monitor that delivers a patient-tailored approach, supporting data-driven decisions during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures. In the fourth quarter of 2022, we completed the first clinical cases using Essenz in two major centers in Europe.
Information on Cardiopulmonary that could potentially impact our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures is incorporated by reference to “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies: FDA Warning Letter” and “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies: Product Liability Litigation” in the consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Neuromodulation
Our Neuromodulation segment is engaged in the design, development and marketing of devices that deliver neuromodulation therapy for treating drug-resistant epilepsy (“DRE”) and difficult-to-treat depression (“DTD”). It also encompasses the development and management of clinical testing of our aura6000 System for treating obstructive sleep apnea (“OSA”) and, until recently, our VITARIA System which was intended to treat heart failure.
Epilepsy
We continue to make significant investments in R&D focused on improving the Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy (“VNS Therapy”) System with an enhanced pulse generator, lead and programming software, and we are developing new products that provide additional features and functionality. We also support studies for our product development efforts and to build clinical evidence for the VNS Therapy System.
Peer reviewed evidence published in 2021 and 2022 continues to confirm the safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness of VNS Therapy in both the adult and pediatric patient population. In January 2022, the Journal of Neurology published a meta-analysis and systematic review that demonstrated benefits of VNS Therapy in adults with DRE that demonstrates that seizure frequency improves without an increase in the rate of serious adverse events or discontinuations. These data further support consideration of VNS Therapy for people who are not responding to anti-seizure medications (“ASMs”) and those unsuitable or unwilling to undergo surgery.
Depression, Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Heart Failure
A discussion of LivaNova’s strategic portfolio initiatives, including Depression, Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Heart Failure, are incorporated by reference to the sections titled “Depression,” “Obstructive Sleep Apnea” and “Heart Failure,” respectively, included within “Part I., Item 1. Business” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Advanced Circulatory Support
Our Advanced Circulatory Support (“ACS”) segment is engaged in the development, production and sale of leading-edge temporary life support products. Our ACS products, which comprise the LifeSPARC platform and ProtekDuo cannula, simplify temporary extracorporeal cardiopulmonary life support solutions for critically ill patients. The LifeSPARC platform includes a common compact console and pump that provides temporary support for emergent rescue patients in a variety of settings. Designed for ease of use, the system offers power and versatility for multi-disciplinary programs to support more patients in more places. The platform is accompanied by four specialized and ready-to-deploy kits, each designed to support diverse cannulation strategies. In November 2022, the FDA approved our LifeSPARC platform for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (“ECMO”). This approval allows for our LifeSPARC platform to be used for ECMO beyond six hours for patients in acute respiratory failure or acute cardiopulmonary failure, including but not limited to those receiving treatment for COVID-19.
We previously owned a 3% equity interest in ALung Technologies, Inc. (“ALung”), a privately-held medical device company focused on creating advanced medical devices for treating respiratory failure. In May 2022, we acquired the remaining 97% of equity interests for a purchase price of up to $110.0 million, consisting of $10.0 million paid at closing, subject to customary adjustments, and contingent considerations of up to $100.0 million payable upon achievement of certain sales-based milestones beginning in 2023 and ending in 2027. Due to synergies anticipated between ALung and our existing ACS business, the assets acquired, including goodwill, are recognized in our ACS segment. The goodwill for the ACS reporting unit was fully impaired during the third quarter of 2022. The fair value of the contingent consideration liability as of May 2, 2022, the acquisition date, and December 31, 2022 was $16.8 million and $15.9 million, respectively. For additional information, please refer to “Note 4. Business Combinations” and “Note 8. Goodwill and Intangible Assets” in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. As a result of the ALung transaction, our ACS segment also includes the Hemolung Respiratory Assist System (“Hemolung RAS”), which is the only FDA-cleared platform designed specifically for low-flow extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal for acute respiratory failure.
In August 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) approved a New Technology Add-on Payment (“NTAP”) for our Hemolung RAS for in-patient care. The NTAP designation is awarded to novel medical technologies and services supported by clinical evidence that are expected to substantially improve the diagnosis or treatment of Medicare beneficiaries.
Divestiture of Heart Valve Business
On December 2, 2020, LivaNova entered into a Purchase Agreement with Mitral Holdco S.à r.l. (“Mitral”), a company incorporated under the laws of Luxembourg and wholly-owned and controlled by funds advised by Gyrus Capital S.A., a Swiss private equity firm. The Purchase Agreement provided for the divestiture of certain of LivaNova’s subsidiaries as well as certain other assets and liabilities relating to the Company’s Heart Valve business and site management operations conducted by the Company’s subsidiary LSM at the Company’s Saluggia campus for $64.1 million. On April 9, 2021, LivaNova and the Purchaser entered into an Amended & Restated Purchase Agreement to, among other things, defer the closing of the sale and purchase of LSM by up to two years and include or amend certain additional terms relating to such deferral, including certain amendments relating to the potential hazardous substances liabilities of LSM and the related expense reimbursement provisions.
The sale of the Heart Valve business closed on June 1, 2021. We received $45.5 million in 2021 and the remaining deferred purchase price of $9.5 million in 2022. Also, in 2022, we made a $4.8 million payment to Mitral upon finalizing the trade working capital and net indebtedness adjustments. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we recognized a loss from the sale of the Heart Valve business of $1.9 million, which is included within other operating expenses on the consolidated statements of income (loss).
Results of Operations
The following table summarizes our consolidated results for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands):
2022 2021 2020
Net revenue $ 1,021,805 $ 1,035,365 $ 934,241
Cost of sales 314,577 329,371 339,478
Gross profit 707,228 705,994 594,763
Operating expenses:
Selling, general and administrative 469,243 471,904 446,561
Research and development 155,805 183,414 152,902
Impairment of disposal group - - 180,160
Impairment of goodwill 129,396 - 21,269
Other operating expenses 29,536 51,460 67,770
Operating loss from continuing operations (76,752) (784) (273,899)
Interest expense (48,250) (50,151) (40,837)
Loss on debt extinguishment - (60,238) (1,407)
Foreign exchange and other income/(expense) 49,860 (13,299) (31,879)
Loss from continuing operations before tax (75,142) (124,472) (348,022)
Income tax expense (benefit) 11,051 11,198 (960)
Losses from equity method investments (53) (148) (264)
Net loss from continuing operations (86,246) (135,818) (347,326)
Net loss from discontinued operations, net of tax - - (1,493)
Net loss $ (86,246) $ (135,818) $ (348,819)
Net Revenue by Segment and Geographic Area:
The following table presents net revenue by operating segment and geographic region for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands, except for percentages):
% Change
2022 2021 2020 2022 vs 2021 2021 vs 2020
Cardiopulmonary
United States $ 159,489 $ 154,073 $ 132,543 3.5 % 16.2 %
Europe (1)
127,064 134,562 122,062 (5.6) % 10.2 %
Rest of World 213,761 194,344 192,127 10.0 % 1.2 %
500,314 482,979 446,732 3.6 % 8.1 %
Neuromodulation
United States 374,542 358,476 282,509 4.5 % 26.9 %
Europe (1)
50,291 51,435 39,019 (2.2) % 31.8 %
Rest of World 52,160 46,261 32,916 12.8 % 40.5 %
476,993 456,172 354,444 4.6 % 28.7 %
Advanced Circulatory Support
United States 37,527 53,821 41,094 (30.3) % 31.0 %
Europe (1)
1,447 1,120 1,027 29.2 % 9.1 %
Rest of World 327 518 200 (36.9) % 159.0 %
39,301 55,459 42,321 (29.1) % 31.0 %
Other (2)
United States - 4,929 12,488 (100.0) % (60.5) %
Europe (1)
- 14,407 31,259 (100.0) % (53.9) %
Rest of World 5,197 21,419 46,997 (75.7) % (54.4) %
5,197 40,755 90,744 (87.2) % (55.1) %
Totals
United States 571,558 571,299 468,634 - % 21.9 %
Europe (1)
178,802 201,524 193,367 (11.3) % 4.2 %
Rest of World 271,445 262,542 272,240 3.4 % (3.6) %
Total $ 1,021,805 $ 1,035,365 $ 934,241 (1.3) % 10.8 %
(1)Includes countries in Europe where we have a direct sales presence. Countries where sales are made through distributors are included in “Rest of World.”
(2)For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, Other primarily includes the net revenue of the Company’s Heart Valve business, which was divested on June 1, 2021.
The following table presents segment (loss) income from continuing operations for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands):
% Change
2022 2021 2020 2022 vs 2021 2021 vs 2020
Cardiopulmonary $ 11,247 $ (6,429) $ 35,735 (274.9) % (118.0) %
Neuromodulation 172,775 169,499 109,273 1.9 % 55.1 %
Advanced Circulatory Support (142,590) 2,195 (575) (6596.1) % (481.7) %
Other (1) (2)
(85,249) (129,082) (365,116) (34.0) % (64.6) %
Total reportable segment (loss) income from continuing operations (3)
$ (43,817) $ 36,183 $ (220,683) (221.1) % (116.4) %
(1)Other includes corporate shared service expenses for finance, legal, human resources, information technology and corporate business development. For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, Other also includes the results of the Company’s Heart Valve business, which was divested on June 1, 2021.
(2)Results for the year ended December 31, 2020 include $180.2 million and $21.3 million in impairments of the Heart Valves disposal group and allocated goodwill, respectively. Additionally, the results for the year ended December 31, 2020 include a $42.2 million decommissioning provision at our Saluggia site. Refer to “Note 5. Divestiture of Heart Valve Business” and “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies,” respectively, in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.
(3)For a reconciliation of segment (loss) income from continuing operations to our consolidated loss from continuing operations before tax, refer to “Note 20. Geographic and Segment Information” in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Cardiopulmonary
Cardiopulmonary net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022, increased 3.6% to $500.3 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to growth in the U.S. and Rest of World regions. This growth was primarily driven by oxygenators due to an increase in cardiac surgery procedures and strength in heart-lung machine placements in the Rest of World region. These increases were partially offset by unfavorable foreign currency fluctuations of approximately $33.5 million.
Cardiopulmonary segment income for the year ended December 31, 2022, was $11.2 million, compared to segment loss of $6.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in segment income was primarily due to a decrease in the litigation provision and legal costs related to our 3T Heater-Cooler device totaling $16.8 million, as well as an increase in net revenue, as discussed above, partially offset by an increase in SG&A expenses.
Cardiopulmonary net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, increased 8.1% to $483.0 million primarily due to growth in oxygenator sales resulting from an increase in procedure volumes, across all regions, growth in HLM sales in the U.S. region, as well as the favorable impact of foreign currency fluctuations, partially offset by a reduction in capital equipment purchases in the Rest of World region.
Cardiopulmonary segment loss for the year ended December 31, 2021, was $6.4 million compared to segment income for the year ended December 31, 2020, of $35.7 million. The decrease in segment income was primarily due to an increase in the litigation provision related to our 3T Heater-Cooler device and related legal costs of $37.8 million, as well as an increase in sales and marketing expenses due to lower 2020 commercial related variable and discretionary spending as a result of COVID-19 during the year ended December 31, 2020 and an increase in R&D expenses due to the upcoming launch of our next-generation HLM. These increases in expenses were partially offset by an increase in net revenue, as discussed above.
Neuromodulation
Neuromodulation net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022, increased 4.6% to $477.0 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to growth across all regions driven by replacement implants as well as improving market dynamics, partially offset by unfavorable foreign currency fluctuations of approximately $9.7 million.
Neuromodulation segment income for the year ended December 31, 2022, was $172.8 million compared to $169.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in segment income was primarily due to an increase in net revenue, as discussed above, as well as the net favorable impact of the change in fair value of the sales-based and milestone-based contingent consideration arrangement associated with the acquisition of ImThera of $13.8 million. The increase in segment income was partially offset by increases in R&D expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 totaling $13.8 million associated with the Company’s RECOVER study and ANTHEM-HFrEF and Obstructive Sleep Apnea using Targeted Hypoglossal Neurostimulation (“OSPREY”) clinical trials, as well as an increase in SG&A expenses.
Neuromodulation net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, increased 28.7% to $456.2 million primarily due to improving market dynamics across all regions resulting from increased hospital access and patient willingness to return to clinics.
Neuromodulation segment income increased 55.1% for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily from an increase in net revenue, as discussed above. This increase was partially offset by the net impact of the change in fair value of the sales-based and milestone-based contingent consideration arrangement associated with the acquisition of ImThera of $21.5 million, as well as an increase in sales and marketing expenses due to lower 2020 commercial related variable and discretionary spending as a result of COVID-19 during the year ended December 31, 2020 and an increase in R&D expenses due to our DTD and heart failure clinical trials.
Advanced Circulatory Support
ACS net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022, decreased 29.1% to $39.3 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to a reduction in patients treated with ECMO related to fewer severe COVID-19 cases, product mix and hospital-related challenges, partially offset by growth in non-COVID-19 cases.
ACS segment loss for the year ended December 31, 2022, was $142.6 million compared to segment income of $2.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Segment loss was predominantly attributed to the impairment of the goodwill associated with our ACS segment of $129.4 million. For additional information, please refer to “Note 8. Goodwill and Intangible Assets” in the consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Segment loss was also negatively impacted by the declines in net revenue, as discussed above. These negative impacts were partially offset by the net favorable impact of the change in fair value of a regulatory milestone-based contingent consideration arrangement associated with the TandemLife acquisition of $14.3 million.
ACS net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, increased 31.0% to $55.5 million, resulting from continued adoption and utilization of LifeSPARC in the U.S. and an increase in procedure volumes.
ACS segment income increased 481.7% for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily from an increase in sales, as discussed above. This increase was partially offset by an increase in sales and marketing expenses due to lower commercial related variable and discretionary spending as a result of COVID-19 during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Costs and Expenses
The following table presents costs and expenses as a percentage of net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020:
2022 2021 2020
Cost of sales 30.8 % 31.8 % 36.3 %
Selling, general and administrative 45.9 % 45.6 % 47.8 %
Research and development 15.2 % 17.7 % 16.4 %
Impairment of disposal group - % - % 19.3 %
Impairment of goodwill 12.7 % - % 2.3 %
Other operating expenses 2.9 % 5.0 % 7.3 %
Cost of Sales
Cost of sales consisted primarily of direct labor, allocated manufacturing overhead, the acquisition cost of raw materials and components.
Cost of sales as a percentage of net revenue was 30.8% for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of 1.0% compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to favorable product mix, partially resulting from the sale of the Company’s Heart Valve business during the second quarter of 2021, as well as the net impact of the change in fair value of sales-based contingent consideration arrangements. These decreases in cost of sales were partially offset by increased costs driven by supply chain delays and interruptions, labor shortages, inflationary pressures and logistical issues in the wake of COVID-19.
Cost of sales as a percentage of net revenue was 31.8% for the year ended December 31, 2021, a decrease of 4.5% compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease was primarily due to favorable product mix, partially due to the sale of the Heart Valve business during the second quarter of 2021, unfavorable manufacturing variances during the year ended December 31, 2020, as well as a decline in product remediation expenses associated with our 3T Heater-Cooler device of $7.0 million. These decreases were partially offset by the net impact of the change in fair value of a sales-based contingent consideration arrangement of $4.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020.
Selling, General and Administrative (“SG&A”) Expenses
SG&A expenses are comprised of sales, marketing, general and administrative activities.
SG&A expenses as a percentage of net revenue was 45.9% for the year ended December 31, 2022, an increase of 0.3% compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to increased costs resulting from inflationary pressures and logistical issues, partially offset by foreign currency fluctuations.
SG&A expenses as a percentage of net revenue decreased for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to an increase in sales which resulted in favorable operating leverage, partially offset by an increase in sales and marketing expenses due to lower commercial related variable and discretionary spending as a result of COVID-19 during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Research and Development Expenses
R&D expenses consist of product design and development efforts, clinical study programs and regulatory activities, which are essential to our strategic portfolio initiatives, including DTD, OSA and, until recently, heart failure.
R&D expenses as a percentage of net revenue was 15.2% for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of 2.5% compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in R&D expense resulting from the net impact of changes in fair value of milestone-based contingent consideration arrangements of $28.5 million. The aforementioned decrease in R&D expense was partially offset by increases associated with the Company’s RECOVER study and ANTHEM-HFrEF and OSPREY clinical trials totaling $13.8 million.
R&D expenses as a percentage of net revenue increased for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to an increase in R&D expense resulting from the net impact of changes in fair value of milestone-based contingent consideration arrangements of $16.6 million as well as an increase in R&D expenses due to the upcoming launch of our next-generation HLM and due to our DTD and heart failure clinical trials.
Impairments of Disposal Group and Goodwill
We test goodwill for impairment on an annual basis on October 1 or when events or changes in circumstances indicate that a potential impairment exists.
As part of our third-quarter 2022 assessment, we considered that revenue for our ACS reporting unit during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, had declined by approximately 29% compared to the prior year period, primarily as a result of a reduction in severe COVID-19 cases, hospital-related challenges and product mix. Furthermore, future revenue projections were reduced. Based on these circumstances, we concluded it was more likely than not that the goodwill of our ACS reporting unit was impaired, and we performed a quantitative assessment of the goodwill as of September 30, 2022, using management’s then current estimate of future cash flows. Based on the valuation performed, we determined that the fair value of the ACS reporting unit was less than the carrying value and recognized a goodwill impairment of $129.4 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized an impairment of $180.2 million to record the Heart Valves disposal group at fair value less estimated cost to sell. Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded a $21.3 million impairment to the goodwill allocated to the Heart Valves disposal group based upon the relative fair values of the businesses. For further information refer to “Note 5. Divestiture of Heart Valve Business” in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Other Operating Expenses
Other operating expenses consists primarily of the provision for litigation involving our 3T Heater-Cooler device, the provision for the decommissioning of hazardous substances at our site in Saluggia, Italy, merger and integration expense, restructuring expense, and the loss on the on sale of our Heart Valve business.
Other operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue was 2.9% for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of 2.1% compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in the litigation provision related to our 3T Heater-Cooler device of $16.3 million.
Other operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, decreased primarily due to a $42.2 million provision recognized in 2020 for our obligation to clean and dismantle contaminated buildings and equipment at our Saluggia, Italy campus as well as to deliver hazardous substances to a national repository. For further information, refer to “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies” in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This decrease was partially offset by an increase in the litigation provision related to our 3T Heater-Cooler device of $34.2 million.
Interest Expense
We incurred interest expense of $48.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $50.2 million and $40.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The decrease for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, was primarily due to the repayment of the Company’s 2020 senior secured term loan during the third quarter of 2021, partially offset by interest expense associated with the February 2022 Bridge Loan
Facility and the Initial Term Facility. The increase for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 was primarily due to $10.5 million in increased interest expense in 2021 from the 2020 Cash Exchangeable Senior Notes (the “Notes”) that were entered into in June 2020. For further information on our debt refer to “Note 11. Financing Arrangements” in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Loss on Debt Extinguishment
Loss on debt extinguishment for the year ended December 31, 2021, resulted from the early repayment and termination of the Company’s 2020 senior secured term loan and revolving credit facility with ACF FINCO I LP totaling $60.2 million. For further details on the loss on debt extinguishment, refer to “Note 11. Financing Arrangements” in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Foreign Exchange and Other Income/(Expense)
Foreign exchange and other income/(expense) consist primarily of gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in a currency different from an entity’s functional currency, foreign currency exchange rate derivative gains and losses and changes in the fair value of embedded and capped call derivatives.
Foreign exchange and other income/(expense) was income of $49.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to losses of $13.3 million and $31.9 million for 2021 and 2020, respectively. For further details, refer to “Note 21. Supplemental Financial Information” in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Income Taxes
LivaNova PLC is resident in the UK. Our subsidiaries conduct operations and earn income in numerous countries and are subject to the laws of taxing jurisdictions within those countries, and the income tax rates imposed in the tax jurisdictions in which our subsidiaries conduct operations vary. As a result of the changes in the overall level of our income, the earnings mix in various jurisdictions, changes in valuation allowances, and the changes in tax laws, our consolidated effective income tax rate may vary substantially from one reporting period to another.
Our effective income tax rate from continuing operations was (14.7%), (9.0)% and 0.3% for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Compared with the year ended December 31, 2021, the decrease in the effective tax rate for 2022 was primarily attributable to changes in valuation allowances offset by other discrete items including the goodwill impairment of ACS reporting unit.
Compared with the year ended December 31, 2020, the decrease in the effective tax rate for 2021 was primarily attributable to changes in valuation allowances, the tax impact of the sale of the Heart Valve business and the early repayment and termination of the Company’s 2020 senior secured term loan. Comparatively, the effective tax rate for 2020 included the tax benefits related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, the release of the uncertain tax positions upon the settlement of tax litigation in Italy and other items, offset by an increase to the valuation allowance of the UK and other jurisdictions.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We have adopted various accounting policies to prepare the consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”). Our most significant accounting policies are disclosed in “Note 2. Basis of Presentation, Use of Accounting Estimates and Significant Accounting Policies” and “Note 3. Revenue Recognition” in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
To prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, management makes estimates and assumptions that may affect the reported amounts of our assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent liabilities as of the date of our consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of our revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Our actual results may differ from these estimates. We consider estimates to be critical if we are required to make assumptions about material matters that are uncertain at the time of estimation, or if materially different estimates could have been made or it is reasonably likely that the accounting estimate will change from period to period. The following are areas requiring management’s judgment that we consider critical:
Goodwill and Long-Lived Assets
We allocate the purchase price consideration for an acquisition to the assets we acquire and liabilities we assume based on their fair values at the date of acquisition, including property, plant and equipment, inventories, accounts receivable, long-term debt, and identifiable intangible assets which either arise from a contractual or legal right or are separable from goodwill. We allocate any excess purchase price over the fair value of the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired to goodwill. We base the fair value of identifiable intangible assets acquired in a business combination, including IPR&D, on valuations that use information and assumptions provided by management, which consider management’s best estimates of inputs and assumptions that a market participant would use.
Intangible assets shown on the consolidated balance sheets consist of finite-lived and indefinite-lived assets expected to generate future economic benefits and are recorded at their respective fair values as of their acquisition date. Finite-lived intangible assets consist primarily of developed technology and technical capabilities, including patents, related know-how and licensed patent rights, trade names and customer relationships. Customer relationships consist of relationships with hospitals and surgeons in the countries where we operate. Indefinite-lived intangible assets other than goodwill are composed of IPR&D assets acquired in acquisitions.
Each reporting period, we review if there are circumstances that warrant an evaluation of the carrying amounts of our property and equipment and our finite-lived intangible assets to determine whether such carrying amounts continue to be recoverable. Such changes in circumstance may include, among other items, an expectation of a sale or disposal of a long-lived asset or asset group, adverse changes in market or competitive conditions, an adverse change in legal factors or business climate in the markets in which we operate and operating or cash flow losses. Long-lived assets held and used are assessed for possible impairment by comparing their carrying values with their associated undiscounted, future cash flows. In order to calculate the impairment charge, we generally measure fair value by considering sale prices for similar assets, discounted estimated future cash flows using an appropriate discount rate and/or estimated replacement cost.
We estimate the useful lives of our finite-lived intangible assets, which requires significant management judgment. We evaluate our intangible assets each reporting period to determine whether events and circumstances indicate a different useful life.
We evaluate the goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually on October 1st and whenever other facts and circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets may not be recoverable. Estimating the fair value of goodwill requires various assumptions, including revenue growth rates. We performed a sensitivity analysis of the revenue growth rate for our Cardiopulmonary and Neuromodulation reporting units, as of October 1, 2022, and determined that a decrease of 0.5% in the expected revenue growth rate would not result in an impairment of goodwill. Estimating the fair value of indefinite-lived intangible assets requires various assumptions, including revenue growth rates, timing and probability of commercialization, and discount rates. We performed a sensitivity analysis, as of October 1, 2022, for each of these assumptions and determined that an increase of 0.5% in the discount rate, or a decrease of 0.5% in the expected revenue growth rate would not result in an impairment of our indefinite-lived intangible asset.
As part of our third-quarter 2022 assessment, we considered that revenue for our ACS reporting unit during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, had declined by approximately 29% compared to the prior year period, primarily as a result of a reduction in severe COVID-19 cases, hospital-related challenges and product mix. Furthermore, future revenue projections were reduced. Based on these circumstances, we concluded it was more likely than not that the goodwill of our ACS reporting unit was impaired, and we performed a quantitative assessment of the goodwill as of September 30, 2022, using management’s then current estimate of future cash flows. Based on the valuation performed, we determined that the fair value of the ACS reporting unit was less than the carrying value and recognized a goodwill impairment of $129.4 million. For additional information, please refer to “Note 4. Business Combinations” and “Note 8. Goodwill and Intangible Assets” in the consolidated financial statements in this Annual report on Form 10-K.
Income Taxes
We are a UK corporation, and we operate through our various subsidiaries in a number of countries throughout the world. Our provision for income taxes is based on the tax laws and rates applicable in the jurisdictions in which we operate and earn income. We use significant judgment and estimates in accounting for our income taxes. We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the anticipated future tax effects of temporary differences between the financial statements basis and the tax basis of our assets and liabilities, which are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled.
We file federal and local tax returns in many jurisdictions throughout the world and are subject to income tax examinations for our fiscal year 2015 and subsequent years, with certain exceptions. While we believe that our tax return positions are fully
supported, tax authorities may disagree with certain positions we have taken and assess additional taxes, and as a result, we may establish reserves for uncertain tax positions, which require a significant degree of management judgment. We regularly assess the likely outcomes of our tax positions in order to determine the appropriateness of our reserves; however, the actual outcome of an audit can be significantly different than our expectations, which could have a material impact on our tax provision. The total amount of unrecognized tax benefit, as of December 31, 2022, if recognized, would reduce our income tax expense by approximately $1.6 million.
We periodically assess the recoverability of our deferred tax assets by considering whether it is more-likely-than-not that some or all of the actual benefit of those assets will be realized. To the extent that realization does not meet the “more-likely-than-not” criterion, we establish a valuation allowance. We periodically review the adequacy and necessity of the valuation allowance by considering significant positive and negative evidence relative to our ability to recover deferred tax assets and to determine the timing and amount of valuation allowance that should be released. This evidence includes: profitability in the most recent quarters; internal forecasts for the current and next two future years; size of deferred tax asset relative to estimated profitability; the potential effects on future profitability from increasing competition, healthcare reforms and overall economic conditions; limitations and potential limitations on the use of our net operating losses due to ownership changes, pursuant to Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) Section 382; and the implementation of prudent and feasible tax planning strategies, if any.
For additional information, please refer to “Note 18. Income Taxes” in the consolidated financial statements in this Annual report on Form 10-K.
Legal and Other Contingencies
Provisions for legal contingencies are recognized when the Company determines it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable, the determination of which requires significant judgment. Estimates are used in assessing the likelihood of a loss being incurred and when determining a reasonable estimate of the loss for each claim. Final settlement amounts may be materially different from the provision recorded. For additional information, please refer to “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies” in the consolidated financial statements in this Annual report on Form 10-K.
Contingent Consideration Liabilities
Contingent consideration liabilities are from arrangements resulting from acquisitions that involve potential future payment of consideration that is contingent upon the achievement of performance milestones and sales-based earn-outs. Contingent consideration liabilities are measured at fair value each reporting period, the determination of which requires significant judgments and estimates. The fair value of contingent consideration is determined based on the consideration expected to be transferred and estimated as the probability of future cash flows, discounted to present value in accordance with accepted valuation methodologies. For additional information, please refer to “Note 10. Fair Value Measurements” in the consolidated financial statements in this Annual report on Form 10-K.
Embedded Exchange Feature and Capped Call Derivatives
In June 2020, the Company issued cash exchangeable senior notes and entered into related capped call transactions. The cash exchangeable senior notes include an embedded exchange feature that is bifurcated from the cash exchangeable senior notes. The embedded exchange feature derivative is measured at fair value using a binomial lattice model and discounted cash flows that utilize observable and unobservable market data. The capped call derivative is measured at fair value using the Black-Scholes model utilizing observable and unobservable market data, including stock price, remaining contractual term, expected volatility, risk-free interest rate and expected dividend yield, as applicable. The Company uses historical volatility and implied volatility from options traded to determine expected stock price volatility which is an unobservable input that is significant to the valuation. For additional information, please refer to “Note 10. Fair Value Measurements” and “Note 11. Financing Arrangements” in the consolidated financial statements in this Annual report on Form 10-K.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Based on our current business plan, we believe that our sources of liquidity, which primarily consist of cash and cash equivalents, future cash generated from operations and available borrowings under our current debt facilities, will be sufficient to fund our uses of liquidity, primarily consisting of purchase obligations for expected operating, working capital, capital expenditures, and debt service requirements over the twelve-month period beginning from the issuance date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. From time to time, we may decide to access debt and/or equity markets to optimize our capital structure, raise additional capital or increase liquidity as necessary. Our liquidity could be adversely affected by the factors affecting future operating results, including those referred to in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” above and by the contingencies referred to in “Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies” in the consolidated financial statements in this Annual report on Form 10-K.
Our operating and working capital obligations primarily consist of liabilities arising from the normal course of business including inventory supply contracts, the future settlement of derivative instruments, and future payments of operating leases, as well as contingent consideration arrangements resulting from acquisitions, and obligations associated with legal and other accruals.
The following table presents selected financial information related to our liquidity as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):
2022 2021
Short-term Liquidity
Cash and cash equivalents $ 214,172 $ 207,992
Availability under the 2021 First Lien Credit Agreement 125,000 125,000
Availability under the Delayed Draw Term Facility 50,000 -
$ 389,172 $ 332,992
Working Capital
Current assets $ 886,136 $ 679,181
Current liabilities 297,398 696,970
$ 588,738 $ (17,789)
Debt Obligations
Current portion of long-term debt $ 20,892 $ 226,946
Short-term unsecured borrowing arrangements 2,542 2,727
Current debt obligations 23,434 229,673
Long-term debt obligations 518,067 9,849
Total debt obligations $ 541,501 $ 239,522
Debt and Capital
Our capital structure consists of debt and equity. As of December 31, 2022, our total debt of $541.5 million was 44.8% of total equity of $1,207.6 million. As of December 31, 2021, our total debt of $239.5 million was 18.5% of total equity of $1,294.6 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we received $507.5 million in proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt and repaid $223.5 million in long-term debt.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, we repaid $452.3 million in long-term debt and paid $35.6 million for the make-whole premium associated with the early retirement of long-term debt. We received $322.6 million in net proceeds from the issuance of ordinary shares. Additionally, we reduced our short-term unsecured revolving credit agreements and other agreements with various banks by $2.0 million.
On June 17, 2020, our wholly-owned subsidiary, LivaNova USA, issued $287.5 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2020 Cash Exchangeable Senior Notes (the “Notes”). Holders of the Notes are entitled to exchange the Notes at any time during specified periods, at their option. This includes the right to exchange the Notes during any calendar quarter, if the last reported sale price of LivaNova’s ordinary shares, with a nominal value of £1.00 per share, is greater than or equal to 130% of the exchange price, or $79.27 per share for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter. The exchange condition was not satisfied on December 31, 2022. As a result, we have included our obligations from the Notes and the associated embedded exchange feature derivative as a long-term liability on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022. The Notes are exchangeable solely into cash and are not exchangeable into ordinary shares of LivaNova or any other security under any circumstances. The initial exchange rate for the Notes is 16.3980 ordinary shares per $1,000 principal amount of Notes (equivalent to an initial exchange price of approximately $60.98 per share). The exchange rate is subject to adjustment in certain circumstances, as set forth in the indenture governing the Notes. If holders elect to exchange their Notes during any future periods in the event an exchange condition is met, we would be required to settle our exchange obligation through the payment of cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity.
The Company has also entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions with terms substantially similar to those applicable to the Notes. The capped call transactions are expected generally to offset any cash payments the Company is required to make upon exchange of the Notes in excess of the principal amount thereof in the event that the market value per ordinary share, as measured under the capped call transactions, is greater than the strike price of the capped call transactions, with such offset being subject to an initial cap price of $100.00 per share. The capped call transactions expire on December 15, 2025 and must be settled in cash. If the capped call transactions are converted or redeemed early, settlement occurs at their termination value, which is equal to their fair value at the time of the redemption. The capped call transactions are included at their estimated fair value as of December 31, 2022 within long-term derivative assets on the consolidated balance sheet.
On August 6, 2021, the Company closed an offering and issued 4,181,818 ordinary shares, par value ₤1.00 per share, at an offering price of $82.50 per share. Net proceeds from the offering were approximately $322.6 million, after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and offering expenses. Proceeds from the offering were used to repay the Company’s $450 million 2020 senior secured term loan.
On August 13, 2021, LivaNova PLC and its wholly-owned subsidiary, LivaNova USA (the “Borrower”), entered into a First Lien Credit Agreement with the lenders and issuing banks party thereto and Goldman Sachs Bank USA, as First Lien Administrative Agent and First Lien Collateral Agent, relating to a $125 million senior secured multi-currency revolving credit facility to be made available to the Borrower (the “2021 First Lien Credit Agreement”). The 2021 First Lien Credit Agreement is available for working capital and other general corporate purposes and, if drawn, can be repaid at any time without premium or penalty. There were no outstanding borrowings under the 2021 First Lien Credit Agreement as of December 31, 2022.
On February 21, 2022, the Court of Appeal in Milan (“Court of Appeal”) notified the Company that it granted the Company a suspension with respect to the payment of damages in the amount of €453.6 million (approximately $484.9 million at December 31, 2022) in the SNIA litigation until a decision has been reached on our appeal to the Italian Supreme Court. This suspension was subject to providing a first demand bank guarantee of €270.0 million (approximately $288.6 million at December 31, 2022) (the “SNIA Litigation Guarantee”) within 30 calendar days.
On February 24, 2022, LivaNova PLC and its wholly-owned subsidiary, LivaNova USA, entered into an Incremental Facility Amendment No. 1 to the 2021 First Lien Credit Agreement, relating to a €200 million bridge loan facility (the “Bridge Loan Facility”). On March 16, 2022, LivaNova entered into Amendment No. 2 to the 2021 First Lien Credit Agreement, which converted the available borrowings under the Bridge Loan Facility from €200 million to $220.0 million and converted the EURIBOR rate in the 2021 First Lien Credit Agreement to SOFR. LivaNova delivered a borrowing notice for $220.0 million in connection with the Bridge Loan Facility, which was funded on March 17, 2022. LivaNova used the proceeds of the Bridge Loan Facility to post a portion of the cash collateral supporting the SNIA Litigation Guarantee.
On March 18, 2022, LivaNova PLC, acting through its Italian branch, entered into an Indemnity Letter and an Account Pledge Agreement with Barclays, further to which Barclays issued the €270.0 million SNIA Litigation Guarantee. As security for the SNIA Litigation Guarantee, LivaNova is required to grant cash collateral to Barclays in USD in an amount equal to the USD equivalent of 105% of the amount of the SNIA Litigation Guarantee calibrated on a biweekly basis. At December 31, 2022, the cash collateral classified as restricted cash on the consolidated balance sheet was $301.4 million.
On March 21, 2022, LivaNova delivered the SNIA Litigation Guarantee as required by the Court of Appeal, thereby satisfying the condition to obtain the suspension for the payment of damages in connection with the SNIA litigation until review of such judgment by the Italian Supreme Court.
On July 6, 2022, LivaNova and its wholly-owned subsidiary, LivaNova USA, entered into a new incremental facility amendment to its 2021 First Lien Credit Agreement. The Incremental Amendment No. 2 provides for LivaNova USA to, among other things, obtain commitments for term loan facilities from a syndicate of lenders in an aggregate principal amount of $350 million consisting of (i) an initial term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $300 million (the “Initial Term Facility”) and (ii) a delayed draw term loan facility in an additional aggregate principal amount of $50 million, which are available in one single drawing on or after July 6 until the date that is nine months after such date (the “Delayed Draw Term Facility” and, together with the Initial Term Facility, the “Term Facilities”). As of December 31, 2022, availability under the Delayed Draw Term Facility was $50 million.
Proceeds of the Initial Term Facility were used to repay in full the Bridge Loan Facility on July 6, 2022, with the remainder to be used for general corporate purposes of the Company. The Term Facilities have a maturity of the earlier of (i) five years or (ii) 91 days prior to December 15, 2025, the maturity date of the Notes, unless by that date LivaNova USA will have either redeemed or refinanced the Notes, or set aside an amount of cash equal to the then-outstanding principal amount of the Notes.
For additional information on our debt and debt transactions, please refer to “Note 11. Financing Arrangements” in the consolidated financial statements in this Annual report on Form 10-K.
Cash Flows
The following table presents net cash and cash equivalents provided by (used in) operating, investing and financing activities and the net increase (decrease) in the balance of cash and cash equivalents for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands):
2022 2021 2020
Operating activities $ 69,921 $ 102,544 $ (79,422)
Investing activities (38,414) 36,904 (41,844)
Financing activities 280,130 (181,483) 310,756
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (4,011) (2,805) 2,205
Net increase (decrease) $ 307,626 $ (44,840) $ 191,695
Operating Activities
Cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $32.6 million compared to the prior year. The decrease was primarily due to the net change in working capital largely associated with an increase in inventory to mitigate supply chain risk and increased payments under the Company’s short-term incentive plan. These decreases were partially offset by an increase in net income adjusted for non-cash items of $28.3 million, primarily driven by an increase in Neuromodulation and Cardiopulmonary net revenue.
Cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased $182.0 million compared to the prior year. The increase was primarily due to a decrease in 3T litigation settlement payments of $103.4 million, the receipt of a CARES Act tax refund of $24.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, and an increase in net revenue.
Investing Activities
Cash provided by investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased $75.3 million compared to the prior year largely due to proceeds received during the year ended December 31, 2021, including $42.9 million from the sale of the Company’s Heart Valve business as well as proceeds from the sale of LivaNova’s investment in and loan to Respicardia totaling $23.1 million.
Cash provided by investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2021 increased $78.7 million compared to the prior year. The increase was primarily due to proceeds from the sale of Heart Valves of $42.9 million, proceeds from the sale of our investment in and loan to Respicardia totaling $23.1 million, as well as a decrease in purchases in property, plant and equipment of $9.5 million.
Financing Activities
Cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $461.6 million compared to the prior year. The increase was primarily due to net borrowings during the year ended December 31, 2022 of $280.2 million compared to net repayments of borrowings of $456.7 million, as well as a payment of $35.6 million for the make-whole premium on long-term debt obligations, during the year ended December 31, 2021. These increases were partially offset by net proceeds from the issuance of ordinary shares of $322.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Cash used in financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2021 increased $492.2 million compared to the same prior year period. The increase was primarily due to a net repayment of borrowings during the year ended December 31, 2021 of $456.7 million compared to net proceeds from borrowings of $382.4 million in the prior year, as well as a payment of $35.6 million for the make-whole premium on long-term debt obligations made during the year ended December 31, 2021. These increases were partially offset by the net proceeds from the issuance of ordinary shares of $322.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, as well as the purchase of a capped call associated with our Notes of $43.1 million and a closing adjustment payment for the sale of our former Cardiac Rhythm Management (“CRM”) business of $14.9 million made during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Market Risk
We are exposed to certain market risks as part of our ongoing business operations, including risks from foreign currency exchange rates, interest rate risks and concentration of procurement suppliers, that could adversely affect our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
We manage these risks through regular operating and financing activities and, at certain times, derivative financial instruments.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk
Due to the global nature of our operations, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Historically, we have maintained a foreign currency exchange rate risk management strategy that utilizes cash flow hedges and freestanding foreign currency derivatives to reduce our exposure to unanticipated fluctuations in forecasted revenue and costs, inter-company debt, deposits and accounts receivable caused by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Upon the settlement of our foreign currency cash flow hedges in the fourth quarter of 2022 and following an in-depth analysis of the utility of our cash flow hedging program, we discontinued our foreign currency cash flow hedging program. We continue to use freestanding derivative forward contracts to offset exposure to the variability of the value associated with assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency.
We mitigate our credit risk relating to counterparties of our derivatives through a variety of techniques, including transacting with multiple, high-quality financial institutions, thereby limiting our exposure to individual counterparties and by entering into International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (“ISDA”) Master Agreements, which include provisions for a legally enforceable master netting agreement, with almost all of our derivative counterparties. The terms of the ISDA agreements may also include credit support requirements, cross default provisions, termination events, and set-off provisions. Legally enforceable master netting agreements reduce credit risk by providing protection in bankruptcy in certain circumstances and generally permitting the closeout and netting of transactions with the same counterparty upon the occurrence of certain events.
Interest Rate Risk
We are subject to interest rate risk on our investments and debt. We currently use interest rate derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges to manage a portion of our exposure to interest rate movements and to reduce the risk of increased borrowing costs by converting floating-rate debt into fixed rate debt. Under these agreements, we agree to exchange, at specific intervals, the difference between fixed and floating interest amounts calculated by reference to agreed-upon notional principal amounts. The interest rate swaps are structured to mirror the payments terms of the underlying loan. If interest rates were to increase / (decrease) by 100 basis points, the effect on interest expense within our consolidated statement of income (loss) would be an increase / (decrease) of approximately $3 million, respectively.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Our trade accounts receivable represent potential concentrations of credit risk. This risk is limited due to the large number of customers and their dispersion across a number of geographic areas, as well as our efforts to control our exposure to credit risk by monitoring our receivables and the use of credit approvals and credit limits. In addition, we have historically had strong collections and minimal write-offs. While we believe that our reserves for credit losses are adequate, essentially all of our trade receivables are concentrated in the hospital and healthcare sectors worldwide, and accordingly, we are exposed to their respective business, economic and country-specific variables. Although we do not currently foresee a concentrated credit risk associated with these receivables, repayment is dependent on the financial stability of these industry sectors and the respective countries’ national economies and healthcare systems.
Factors Affecting Future Operating Results and Share Price
The material factors affecting our future operating results and share prices are disclosed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
The information required under 7A. has been incorporated by reference to the information contained in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the section entitled “Market Risk.”

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in “Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, beginning on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, are incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain a system of disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act, that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management, under the supervision and with the participation of our CEO and CFO, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based on that evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2022.
(b) Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022 using the criteria set forth in the Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment, we concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022.
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. Their report is included after “Item 16. Form 10-K Summary” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
(c) Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
During the fourth quarter of 2022, there were no changes to our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that have materially affected, or that are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 9B. Other Information
None.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The information required for this Item 10 is incorporated by reference from our definitive Proxy Statement for the annual meeting of stockholders to be held on June 12, 2023 (the “2023 Proxy Statement”).
We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code of Conduct”) that applies to all employees, officers and directors of the Company. A copy of the Code of Conduct is publicly available on our website, www.livanova.com. We intend to post any amendments to the Code of Conduct or any grant of a waiver from a provision of the Code of Conduct requiring disclosure under applicable SEC rules on our website.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The information required for this Item 11 is incorporated by reference from our 2023 Proxy Statement except as to information required pursuant to Item 402(v) of the SEC Regulation S-K relating to pay versus performance.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The information required for this Item 12 is incorporated by reference from our 2023 Proxy Statement.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The information required for this Item 13 is incorporated by reference from our 2023 Proxy Statement.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
The information required for this Item 14 is incorporated by reference from our 2023 Proxy Statement.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
(1) Financial Statements
The Consolidated Financial Statements of LivaNova PLC and its subsidiaries and the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firms are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K beginning on page:
Description Page No.
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID: 238)
Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(2) Financial Statement Schedules
All schedules required by Regulation S-X have been omitted as not applicable or not required, or the information required has been included in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
(3) Index to Exhibits
The exhibits marked with the asterisk symbol (*) are filed or furnished (in the case of Exhibit 32.1) with this Form 10-K. The exhibits marked with the cross symbol (†) are management contracts or compensatory plans or arrangements filed pursuant to Item 601(b)(10)(iii) of Regulation S-K.
Exhibit
Number
Document Description
2.1
Share and Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 2, 2020, by and between LivaNova PLC and Mitral Holdco S.à.r.l., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 3, 2020
3.1
Amended Articles of Association, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020
4.1*
Description of Securities Registered Under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
4.2
Indenture, dated as of June 17, 2020, among LivaNova USA, Inc., as Issuer, LivaNova PLC, as Guarantor, and Citibank, N.A., as Trustee, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company's current Report on Form 8-K, filed on June 17, 2020
4.3
Form of 3.00% Cash Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2025 (included in Exhibit 4.1 of the Company's current Report on Form 8-K, filed on June 17, 2020)
10.1†
Form of Deed of Indemnification (Directors), each effective October 19, 2015, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on October 19, 2015
10.2†
Form of Deed of Indemnification (Officers), each effective October 19, 2015, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on October 19, 2015
10.3†
2015 Incentive Award Plan and related Sub-Plan for U.K. Participants, adopted on October 16, 2015, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on October 19, 2015
10.4†
Cyberonics, Inc. 2009 Stock Plan, as amended, incorporated by reference to Appendix A to Cyberonics, Inc.’s Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed on August 2, 2012
10.5†
Amended and Restated Cyberonics, Inc. New Employee Equity Inducement Plan, as amended, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of Cyberonics, Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended October 24, 2008
10.6*†
Form of Stock Option Award Notification and Agreement under the Cyberonics, Inc. 2009 Stock Plan, as amended
10.7†
CEO Employment Agreement effective January 1, 2017 between the Company and Damien McDonald, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on February 28, 2017
10.8†
Side Letter dated January 1, 2017 between the Company and Damien McDonald, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on February 28, 2017
10.9†
Service Agreement effective May 24, 2017, between the Company and Keyna Skeffington, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2017
10.10†
Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy, adopted December 2017, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.74 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017
10.11†
Description of 2018 Long Term Incentive Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 16, 2018
10.12†
Form of 2018 Long Term Incentive Plan SAR Award Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 16, 2018
10.13†
Form of 2018 Long Term Incentive Plan PSU Award Agreement (rTSR condition), incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 16, 2018
10.14†
General Provisions of the Company’s Global Employee Share Purchase Plan dated 12 June 2018, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2018
10.15†
Description of 2019 Long Term Incentive Plan approved March 29, 2019, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1
of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 1, 2019
10.16†
Form of the Company’s 2019 Long Term Incentive Plan RSU Award Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 1, 2019
10.17†
Form of the Company’s 2019 Long Term Incentive Plan SAR Award Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 1, 2019
10.18†
Form of the Company’s 2019 Long Term Incentive Plan PSU Award Agreement (rTSR condition), incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 1, 2019
10.19†
Form of the Company’s 2019 Long Term Incentive Plan PSU Award Agreement (FCF condition), incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.5 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 1, 2019
10.20†
Service Agreement, dated January 2, 2019, between Trui Hebbelinck and LivaNova PLC, incorporated by reference
to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2019
10.21
Form of Capped Call Confirmation incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on June 17, 2020
10.22†
Amendment to Outstanding 2019 and 2020 Restricted Stock Unit Awards under the LivaNova PLC 2015 Incentive Award Plan, dated June 15, 2020, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020
10.23†
Amendment to Outstanding 2018 Restricted Stock Unit Awards under the LivaNova PLC 2015 Incentive Award Plan dated June 15, 2020, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020
10.24†
Amendment to Outstanding 2018, 2019 and 2020 Performance Stock Unit Awards under the LivaNova PLC 2015 Incentive Award Plan, dated June 15, 2020, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020
10.25†
Form of Long Term Incentive Plan Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020
10.26†
Form of Long Term Incentive Plan Performance Stock Unit Award Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020
10.27†
Form of Long Term Incentive Plan Stock Appreciation Right Award Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020
10.28†
Form of Director Restricted Stock Unit Award Grant Notice, dated June 2020 and Director Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement under the Company’s 2015 Incentive Award Plan (Non-Employee Directors), incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.42 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020
10.29†
Form of Non-Executive Director Appointment Letter incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.43 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020
10.30†
Alex Shvartsburg offer of employment in the role of Vice President Strategy and Innovation, dated 21 September 2017 incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.44 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020
10.31†
Alex Shvartsburg letter, dated January 2019, regarding compensation increase incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.45 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020
10.32†
Alex Shvartsburg letter, dated October 2020, regarding additive compensation package for interim CFO position incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.46 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020
10.33†
Service Agreement, effective August 1, 2021, between the Company and Alex Shvartsburg, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021
10.34†
Marco Dolci Confirmation Letter, effective January 1, 2020, as SVP Global Operations & Global Research and Development, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020
10.35†
Executive Employment Contract between Sorin Group Italia S.r.l. and Marco Dolci, effective April 20, 2017, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021
10.36
Amended and Restated Share and Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 9, 2021, by and between LivaNova PLC and Mitral Holdco S.à.r.l., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 15, 2021
10.37
First Lien Credit Agreement dated as of August 13, 2021 among LivaNova PLC, LivaNova USA, Inc., the lenders and issuing banks party thereto and Goldman Sachs Bank USA as First Lien Administrative Agent and First Lien Collateral Agent, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on August 16, 2021
10.38
Incremental Facility Amendment No. 1 to Credit Agreement, dated as of February 24, 2022, by and among LivaNova Plc, LivaNova USA, Inc., the lenders and issuing banks party thereto and Goldman Sachs Bank USA as First Lien Administrative Agent, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.51 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 1, 2022
10.39
Letter of indemnity in respect of the issuance of Trade Finance guarantee by Barclays Bank Ireland PLC, Italy Branch dated March 18, 2022, by and among LivaNova PLC Italian Branch and Barclays Bank Ireland PLC, Italy Branch, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 21, 2022
10.40
Pledge Agreement dated as of March 18, 2022, among LivaNova PLC Italian Branch and Barclays Bank Ireland PLC, Italy Branch, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 21, 2022
10.41
Amendment 2 to the Credit Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2022, by and among LivaNova PLC, LivaNova USA, Inc., the Lenders and Goldman Sachs Bank USA as First Lien Administrative Agent, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on May 4, 2022
10.42
Incremental Facility Amendment No. 2 to Credit Agreement, dated as of July 6, 2022, by and among LivaNova Plc, LivaNova USA, Inc., the Second Incremental Term Lenders, Delayed Draw Incremental Leaders, Goldman Sachs Bank USA, the Revolving Lenders and Issuing Banks, and for purposes of Sections 8 and 10 only, the other Loan Parties as of the date hereof., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on July 6, 2022
10.43†
Amendment to the LivaNova Plc 2015 Incentive Award Plan, dated 13 June 2022, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 3, 2022
10.44†
Retirement Agreement, dated 13 June 2022, between LivaNova Plc and Keyna Skeffington, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 3, 2022
10.45†
Form of LivaNova Plc 2022 Incentive Award Plan Stock Appreciation Right Grant Notice and Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 3, 2022
10.46†
Form of LivaNova Plc 2022 Incentive Award Plan Restricted Stock Unit Award Grant Notice and Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 3, 2022
10.47†
Form of LivaNova Plc 2022 Incentive Award Plan Performance Stock Unit Award Grant Notice and Agreement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 3, 2022
10.48†
Amendment to Outstanding 2021 and 2022 Performance Stock Unit Awards under the LivaNova PLC 2015 Incentive Award Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 3, 2022
10.49†
Amendment to relevant 2020, 2021, and 2022 Restricted Stock Unit Awards under the LivaNova PLC 2015 Incentive Award Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 3, 2022
10.50*†
Letter, dated December 14, 2022, to Alex Shvartsburg regarding an increase in gross annual base salary, effective January 1, 2023
10.51*†
Amendment to Form of LivaNova Plc 2022 Incentive Award Plan Stock Appreciation Right Grant Notice and Agreement
10.52*†
Amendment to Form of LivaNova Plc 2022 Incentive Award Plan Restricted Stock Unit Award Grant Notice and Agreement
10.53*†
Amendment to Form of LivaNova Plc 2022 Incentive Award Plan Performance Stock Unit Award Grant Notice and Agreement
21.1*
List of Subsidiaries of LivaNova PLC
23.1*
Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
31.1*
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer of LivaNova PLC pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2*
Certification of the Chief Financial Officer of LivaNova PLC pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1*
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer and of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101* Interactive Data Files Pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T formatted in Inline XBRL: (i) the Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) for the years ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the years ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, (iii) the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, (iv) the Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, (v) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, and (vi) the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
104* Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
LIVANOVA PLC
By: /s/ DAMIEN MCDONALD
Damien McDonald
Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
LIVANOVA PLC
By: /s/ ALEX SHVARTSBURG
Alex Shvartsburg
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Accounting and Financial Officer)
Date: February 27, 2023
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
Signature Title Date
/s/ WILLIAM A. KOZY Chair of the Board of Directors February 27, 2023
William A. Kozy
/s/ DAMIEN MCDONALD Director, Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
February 27, 2023
Damien McDonald
/s/ ALEX SHVARTSBURG Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Accounting and Financial Officer)
February 27, 2023
Alex Shvartsburg
/s/ FRANCESCO BIANCHI Director February 27, 2023
Francesco Bianchi
/s/ STACY ENXING SENG Director February 27, 2023
Stacy Enxing Seng
/s/ DANIEL J. MOORE Director February 27, 2023
Daniel J. Moore
/s/ SHARON O'KANE Director February 27, 2023
Sharon O'Kane, Ph.D.
/s/ ANDREA L. SAIA Director February 27, 2023
Andrea L. Saia
/s/ TODD C. SCHERMERHORN Director February 27, 2023
Todd C. Schermerhorn
/s/ BROOKE STORY Director February 27, 2023
Brooke Story
/s/ PETER WILVER Director February 27, 2023
Peter Wilver