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. Can Big Data help detect silent hypertension?
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A computer algorithm may be able to help physicians monitor patients for signs of hypertension, a disease known as “the silent killer.”
Researchers at Northwestern Medicine developed a trio of algorithms to review patients’ electronic health records and alert healthcare providers that a patient may have or may be developing hypertension. Read more
2. Covidien to launch Emprint soft tissue ablation device
Covidien said today that it’s launching its Emprint soft tissue ablation system, aiming at the market for inoperable liver cancers.
The Mansfield, Mass.-based medical device company said the Emprint device, which uses Covidien’s Thermosphere technology, is designed to ablate diseased soft tissue in the liver, lung and kidney, including non-resectable liver tumors. The device is not intended for use in cardiac ablation procedures, Covidien said. Read more
1. Could Medtronic-Covidien deal get caught in anti-inversion legislation?
The White House is looking to clamp down on companies that relocate their headquarters overseas in order to benefit from lower tax rates, a measure that could have implications for Medtronic’s $43 billion mega-merger with Covidien.
Part of the Medtronic-Covidien deal includes shifting Medtronic’s official headquarters from Minnesota to Covidien’s base in Ireland, allowing Medtronic to take advantage of the country’s more favorable corporate tax rate in a move called a corporate inversion. Read more