A long-term followup study on Boston Scientific’s (NYSE:BSX) Watchman heart implant shows low risk of hemorrhagic stroke and a high percentage of patients who discontinued anticoagulation drugs at one year. Published this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the new registry data represent the largest number and longest follow-up of patients […]
Structural Heart
Abiomed wins FDA approval for latest Impella heart pump
Abiomed (NSDQ:ABMD) said today that it won pre-market approval from the FDA for the latest version of its Impella heart pump. The Danvers, Mass.-based company said the PMA for the Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist covers treatment for cardiogenic shock for up to 14 days. The new pump is 45% shorter than its predecessor and delivers […]
Abiomed claims win over Abbott’s Thoratec in German patent case
Abiomed (NSDQ:ABMD) today claimed a win in a German patent infringement case brought by Abbott (NYSE:ABT) subsidiary Thoratec. The Danvers, Mass.-based heart pump maker said Germany’s highest court ruled in its favor in a patent challenge dating back to 2015. St. Jude Medical acquired Thoratec in October 2015 and was in turn acquired by Abbott […]
Man charged in death of Medtronic research scientist
This article has been updated with charging information from the Hennepin County (Minn.) Attorney’s Office. Officials in Minneapolis have charged a man with manslaughter in the August 23, 2019, death of a Medtronic research scientist. Hennepin County officials said they have charged Erik Kravchuk, 28, of Golden Valley, Minn. with first-degree manslaughter in the death […]
CorWave touts LVAD study results
CorWave today touted 60-day study results from its preclinical study to evaluate its left ventricular assist device. The study concluded that the company’s LVAD has the ability to provide chronic circulatory support with outstanding hemocompatibility. “We were thrilled by the performance of the pump. This study bolsters the excellent hemocompatibility data from our previous trials, […]
iRhythm closes $115m offering
iRhythm Technologies (NSDQ:IRTC) said yesterday that it closed its underwritten public offering of common stock for gross proceeds exceeding $100 million. The San Fransisco-based company said it offered nearly 1.6 million shares at $73 per share, including the exercise in full of the underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 205,479 shares. iRhythm initially estimated net proceeds […]
Medtronic letter reveals Micra pacemaker deployment troubles
Medtronic has been fielding complaints from physicians who have had trouble releasing the company’s Micra pacemaker from its delivery system inside patients’ bodies. In a letter dated August 2019, the company noted that it had received 52 complaints worldwide involving a tangled tether that resulted in prolonged or additional procedures. Specifically, the company said it […]
EBR Systems wins FDA breakthrough nod for Wise CRT wireless pacer
EBR Systems said today that it has received breakthrough device designation from the FDA for its Wise CRT system for the treatment of heart failure. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based EBR Systems’ Wise system is a wireless pacer designed to improve the heart’s pumping ability by synchronizing the left and right ventricles to distribute blood to the lungs […]
Occlutech wins CE Mark for intra-atrial shunt
Occlutech said today that its eponymous atrial flow regulator device received CE Mark approval in the European market. The Occlutech AFR is an intra-atrial shunt designed be placed between the left and right atria to treat heart failure symptoms by decompressing abnormal intra-atrial pressure. In a release, the Germany-based company said malfunction of the left […]
ESC Congress: Study shows bariatric surgery can improve cardiac outcomes in Type 2 diabetes
Bariatric or metabolic surgery can significantly lower the risk of major cardiovascular events among patients with Type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to a new clinical study released at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Paris. The retrospective study followed 13,722 Type 2 diabetes patients who underwent bariatric surgery to lose weight or metabolic […]
Kaiser Permanente: Virtual cardiac rehab slashes secondary event rate
Kaiser Permanente yesterday touted promising results in reducing secondary cardiac events and rehospitalizations with a virtual cardiac rehabilitation program. Developed in collaboration with Samsung (LON:BC94), the Oakland, Calif.-based insurer’s eight-week program uses a Samsung smartwatch, paired with an Apple or Android smartphone, to send reminders for exercise, display heart rate and collect data, which is uploaded […]