ACC roundup: The top headlines from today’s meeting of American College of Cardiology

 Medtronic touts Symplicity renal denervation trial results
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) unveiled results from 2 trials of its Symplicity renal denervation system as a therapy for treatment-resistant hypertension.

In a series of pilot studies including 153 Australian patients, researchers found that the Symplicity system proved safe and effective after 3 years, with an average blood pressure reduction of -33/-19 Hg. There was no evidence of renal impairment, no hospitalizations due to hypotension and no procedure-related serious adverse events, according to a press release.

Perhaps most significant was that patients in the pilot studies who didn’t respond early in the trial became responders over time, with 100% of patients responding to renal denervation therapy by the 3-year mark.

"The sexiest message is the fact that the non-responders are responding over time," ACC program co-chair Dr. George Bakris told TheHeart.org. "Nobody understands why, but it’s definitely a huge novel finding in terms of better understanding what this whole thing is doing. We are learning as we go."

A 2nd randomized study of 106 patients found similar results of -32/-12 Hg blood pressure reduction after 1 year among patients receiving renal denervation, with no significant decline in kidney function and no late vascular complications.  Read more

 GE Healthcare unveils new cardiac CT machine with intelligent motion correction
GE Healthcare (NYSE: GE) unveiled its latest development in cardiac imaging, which it bills as the "1st intelligent motion correction for heart rate cardiac CT."

The Discovery CT750 HD Freedom edition system includes motion correction, enhanced coronary visualization and improved plaque assessment and perfusion calculation, according to a press release. Read more

 St. Jude touts promising results for quadripolar pacing
St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ) reported positive results from 3 studies highlighting positive impacts of the its quadripolar pacing system with Quartet leads.

The system, which won FDA clearance in November 2011, features 4 electrodes that can be used in 10 different pacing configurations, allowing physicians to implant the lead in the most stable way without compromising its effectiveness.

A pair of studies demonstrated the system’s potential to improve hemodynamics and reduce unsynchronized beating among the heart’s chambers, and a 3rd study found large variations in total fluoroscopy time for patients undergoing CRT implantation, according to a press release. Read more

 Corindus Vascular Robotics meets clinical endpoints for performing “robotically enhanced PCI” while protecting cardiologists from radiation exposure in its CorPath Precise trial

 Atrium Medical touts results from its Infuse-AMI trial, reducing coronary lesions with a catheter-based platelet inhibitor delivered directly to a heart attack site

 Maquet reduces all-cause mortality by 34% after 54 months for high-risk PCI patients using an elective intra-aortic balloon pump in BCIS-1 trial

 Cardiovascular Systems presents 12-month data from its Compliance 360° study treating calcified above-the-knee lesions with the Diamondback orbital atherectomy system

 Patients shown CT images of clogged arteries better adhere to statin therapies and lifestyle recommendations, researchers find

 Continuous patient reporting over the web improves drug adherence, blood pressure control and cardiovascular risk when compared to periodic office visits, study finds

 Heart failure checklist reduces hospital admissions and could save billions, researchers say

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