Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) this week touted results from a study of a single-shot ablation catheter for atrial fibrillation at a European cardiac rhythm conference. The Marlborough, Mass.-based medical device giant said the 100-patient AF-ficient I study of intermittent AF proceeded in two stages. Phase one, testing the original Luminize design, showed a pulmonary vein isolation rate […]
Cardiac Rhythm Management
Cardialen raises $17m Series B
Cardialen said today that it closed a $17 million Series B round for the low-energy defibrillation technology it’s developing. The Minneapolis-based company said RiverVest Venture partners led the round, joined by Qiming Venture Partners, HBM Healthcare Investments and Cultivation Capital. The proceeds are earmarked for further clinical work on Cardialen’s “unpinning termination” therapy, which is designed to […]
AtaCor Medical raises $9m for sub-sternal pacer
AtaCor Medical said today that it raised nearly $9 million in a Series A round for the sub-sternal pacemaker it’s developing. San Clemente, Calif.-based AtaCor said Broadview Ventures and aMoon Ventures co-led the $8.8 million round, joined by an unnamed “corporate partner.” The proceeds are earmarked for further development of the pacer system. The device is designed to […]
Abbott’s St. Jude Medical must face negligence suit over Riata leads
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) subsidiary St. Jude Medical must face a negligence lawsuit brought over its recalled Riata defibrillator leads after a federal judge ruled that the case is not pre-empted by federal rules. Plaintiff Kristen Bull was implanted with a St. Jude implantable cardioverter defibrillator using Riata leads in November 2010, just a month before the company pulled the […]
Medtronic can’t slip whistleblower’s CRM suit
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) must face a whistleblower’s lawsuit accusing it of running a kickbacks scheme to encourage doctors to implant its cardiac rhythm management devices. Plaintiff Cathleen Forney worked for Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic for 16 years until she was fired from her role as a district service manager for the cardiac & vascular division in 2012, […]
Abbott is developing a dual-chamber leadless pacer
Even before its acquisition by Abbott, St. Jude Medical had begun developing a dual-chamber leadless pacemaker, which would be a first if it succeeds. Abbott and Medtronic are the only companies that have developed single-chamber leadless pacemakers; St. Jude recalled its version, Nanostim, in October 2017 after receiving 7 reports of lost telemetry and pacing […]
HRS 2018: Study questions benefit of ablation over drug therapy for atrial fibrillation
The annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society got under way in earnest today in Boston with a quintet of late-breaking clinical results from studies that sought creative ways to answer some of cardiology’s most pressing problems. “Most of these studies have not been the conventional head-to-head clinical trials with the usual bopring study structure. […]
Medtronic deals stake in China’s LifeTech Scientific
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) last week dealt its stake in LifeTech Scientific (HK:8122) to China Everbright Ltd. (HK:0165) and another unnamed investor. In October 2012 Medtronic picked up a roughly 26% interest in LifeTech, acquiring a 19% equity stake for $46.6 million and another 7% in a $19.6 million convertible note purchase. The agreement called for LifeTech to develop a line […]
LivaNova closes $190 CRM sale to MicroPort
LivaNova (NSDQ:LIVN) said today that it closed the $190 million sale of its cardiac rhythm management business to China’s MicroPort Scientific (HK:00853). The companies are already partners in a CRM join venture in the People’s Republic. LivaNova, formed by the $2.7 billion merger of Italy’s Sorin and Cyberonics in October 2015, said in September that it was putting the CRM business on the auction […]
Medtronic touts one-year data on Arctic Front Advance cryoballoon
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) today touted results from a clinical trial of its Arctic Front Advance cryoballoon for treating atrial fibrillation. Results from the 130-patient Cryo4Persistent AF trial, presented at the annual meeting of the European Heart Rhythm Assn. in Barcelona, is an open-label, single-arm study with a primary outcome of single-procedure success at 12 months. Single-procedure success […]
EBR Systems launches trial for wireless pacer
EBR Systems said yesterday that it launched a 350-patient investigational device exemption trial of its Wise wireless pacemaker it hopes to use to win FDA approval. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based EBR’s device uses a subcutaneous generator to wirelessly deliver ultrasound energy to a “pellet” implanted in the right ventricle, which it uses to synchronize the left and right […]