Say hello to MassDevice +3, a bite-sized view of the top three medtech stories of the day. This feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our 3 biggest and most influential stories from the day’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
3. Covidien promotes Hanson to group president role
Covidien said today that it promoted its medical device unit’s president, Bryan Hanson, to be group president effective Oct. 1.
The new title gives Hanson oversight of all Covidien’s businesses, according to a press release. Read more
2. St. Jude lands E.U. nod for flexible ablation catheter
European regulators put their stamp of approval on St. Jude Medical’s new FlexAbility ablation catheter, paving the way to 1st use of the next-generation device.
The 1st post-approval surgeries took place at hospitals in Portugal and France, where doctors used FlexAbility to help treat irregular heart rhythms. St. Jude estimated that some 34 million patients worldwide are affected by atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heartbeat. Read more
1. Medtech saves the U.S. billions in chronic care, industry study says
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — The medical device industry has been a target for years for researchers and critics who have claimed the industry is a prime contributor to the skyrocketing cost of U.S. healthcare, and industry advocates responded this month with a new study in the industry’s defense.
Medtech lobbying giant AdvaMed helped sponsor a report, published this month, that extols the ways in which the medical device industry benefits the U.S. The analysts focused on how medtech reduces the costs of caring for chronic diseases and concluded that, taking into account the costs, the industry represents a net positive for the economy. Read more