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

March 26, 2012 By MassDevice staff Leave a Comment

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

Protolabs’ healthcare grant spurs 2 feeding tube inventions
Digital manufacturer Protolabs (NYSE:PRLB) announced today that MedStar Health (Columbia, Md.) and Cleveland Clinic Innovations are joint winners of the company’s Cool Idea Award: Healthcare Grant. These grants provide in-kind manufacturing services to the support development of medical products to spur innovation in the field. MedStar Health’s gravity-feed syringe holder simplifies the feeding of newborns… […]
Nihon Kohden launches new patient monitor
Nihon Kohden (TYO:6849) announced the U.S. launch of its Life Scope SVM-7200 series vital signs monitor for outpatient facilities and beds that aren’t continuously monitored. The Life Scope SVM-7200 is designed to provide customizable early warning scoring to help clinicians identify patients who are deteriorating or at risk of deterioration. It combines vital signs data with… […]
Senate confirms Dr. Stephen Hahn to lead FDA
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Dr. Stephen Hahn as the next commissioner of the FDA. The vote was 72 to 18, according to a report in the New York Times. Hahn will be the first permanent commissioner of the agency since Dr. Scott Gottlieb resigned in April. President Trump nominated Hahn, the chief medical officer at Houston’s… […]
3M to sell drug-delivery biz to Altaris Capital Partners for $650m
3M (NYSE:MMM) announced today that it entered into an agreement to sell most of its drug-delivery business to an affiliate of Altaris Capital Partners for approximately $650 million. St. Paul, Minn.-based 3M will retain its transdermal drug delivery components business, according to a news release. The business being divested has annual global sales reaching approximately… […]
Lawsuit endangers Sterigenics consent order in Georgia
A consent order that Sterigenics entered into with the state of Georgia to reduce ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions at its Atlanta medtech sterilization plant may be in jeopardy. A hearing is scheduled today on a lawsuit that accuses the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of failing to take public comment before entering the Aug. 7… […]
Trelleborg acquires Tritec Seal
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions said today it has closed on its acquisition of rotary seal manufacturer Tritec Seal, which produces engineered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sealing solutions. Trelleborg said the acquisition strengthens its product portfolio while giving the business area access to increased manufacturing capacity. Headquartered in Fenton, Mich., with additional manufacturing in Giddings, Texas, Tritec Seal generated… […]
RSNA 2019: 7 radiology innovations you need to know
Nearly 53,000 people attended the 2019 Radiological Society of North America annual meeting in Chicago last week. And they heard the same acronym over and over again: AI. Exhibitors at the conference touted their artificial-intelligence-enhanced technology at every turn, claiming to make images clearer, sharper, easier to use and powerful enough to help clinicians make… […]
Employees say Intuitive Surgical, J&J, Stryker best places to work in 2020
Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:ISRG), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and Stryker (NYSE:SYK) were recently named as Glassdoor’s employees’s choice of Best Places to Work in 2020. Each year, Glassdoor uses feedback that employees have shared on the website over the past year to compile a list of the best places to work in 2020. Employee reviews provide Glassdoor with insights into job and… […]
Biolase lands 510(k) for dental hygiene laser
Biolase (NSDQ:BIOL) this week announced it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Epic Hygiene dental laser. The laser system allows dental hygienists to manage non-surgical periodontitis and increase clinical production. It offers a step-by-step clinical protocol with pocket therapy and perio debridement for easy implementation. Get the full story on our sister site, MassDevice. The […]
Mayo Clinic, W.L. Gore team up on stem cell therapy treatments
Mayo Clinic and W. L. Gore & Associates have announced a partnership to develop implantable cell therapies to treat debilitating conditions with no cure. The for-profit company, Avobis Bio, will combine a patient’s own stem cells with bioabsorbable scaffolds to stimulate the healing of perianal fistulas, painful tunneling wounds that affect patients with Crohn’s disease.… […]
Toray Industries touts polymer optical fiber
Toray Industries said today that its Raytela polymer optical fiber provides for high-quality imaging in the minimally invasive medical device market. Raytela can negotiate tight 9mm radius bends, making it useful for devices used in endoscopy, uretroscopy, ophthalmic surgery and other procedures that require smaller devices that can navigate more tortuous paths than previously available,… […]