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. Report: Minnesota life science investment closes in on 5-year high

Investment in Minnesota life science companies is on track to hit a 5-year high by the end of 2014, according to a new report from LifeScience Alley. The industry group, whose membership includes companies from the medical device, health IT and pharmaceutical industries, says the 3rd quarter saw a total of $113.6 million in life science investments, bringing the year-to-date total to nearly $300 million.

The numbers reflect a general trend over the past few years. Officials with the group say they’ve seen more deals, more investors and higher budgets. Read more

2. St. Jude Medical CEO: CardioMEMS the ‘single most important new growth driver’

There’s no buyer’s remorse at St. Jude Medical when it comes to the company’s $455 million acquisition of CardioMEMS.

St. Jude CEO Dan Starks yesterday called CardioMEMS Champion HF implantable heart monitor the company’s “single most important new growth driver” and predicted the market for the product would exceed $1 billion. Read more

1. FDA approves Bracco’s Lumason imaging agent

The FDA approved Bracco Diagnostics’ Lumason agent for patients whose ultrasound image of the heart are hard to see with ultrasound waves.

Marketed in other countries as SonoVue, Lumason is a contrast agent made up of gas-filled microbubbles, or microspheres, that reflect sound waves to enhance the image. Lumason helps a physician see a patient’s heart more clearly, allowing for clearer imaging of the left ventricle chamber and the smooth edge on the inside of chambers, known as the endocardium. Read more