Boston Scientific apologizes for embargo breach that got its Watchman trial pulled from conference
Updated March 9, 2013, at 8:30 p.m. PST with comment, slides from Boston Scientific.
The PREVAIL flail: A contrarian view
"The good thing about bad news – it sells."
Do hybrid cars interfere with cardiac implants? Apparently not, study finds
In the 1st study of its kind to examine the interaction between hybrid cars and implantable cardiac devices, researchers found that the electromagnetic waves generated by the green vehicles don’t pose a threat.
"Hybrid cards do not generated clinically relevant amounts of [electromagnetic interference]," according to a team of researchers from the Mayo Clinic of Arizona. "It is safe for patients with ICD to interact with hybrid cars."
Boston Scientific’s Watchman heart implant shows improved safety profile in preliminary results
Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) today unveiled new results from a clinical trial of its Watchman stroke prevention device, reporting that the cardiac implant met 2 of 3 co-primary endpoints for safety and effectiveness compared with drug therapy.
Boston Scientific to present full safety results for Watchman heart implant
Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) officials changed their mind about an up-coming presentation of study results regarding the company’s Watchman stroke prevention implant, deciding to present the full safety results.
Boston Scientific hesitates to release full safety results for Watchman heart implant
Officials at Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) announced this week that they would reveal only limited patient safety results when they present data from a clinical trial of the Watchman stroke prevention implant at the American College of Cardiology conference this week.
Health services provider says Ernst & Young stole trade secrets | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Pharmaceutical management services giant Express Scripts Holding Co. sued accounting firm Ernst & Young, claiming that an E&Y employee sneaked into Express Scripts offices to steal trade secrets.
Express Scripts fingered Don Gravlin, a partner at E&Y, for the alleged misconduct, saying Gravlin and the company "were possessed with an evil motive" in stealing more than 20,000 pages of pricing information, projections and other confidential data, according to the legal complaint.
More good news from Medtronic’s Symplicity high blood pressure trial
ACC census: Cardiologists’ numbers triple | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — The number of cardiologists practicing in the U.S. has tripled since 2007, according to an American College of Cardiology census of more than 2,500 cardiologists.
That’s a sign that the trend toward hospital integration is proceeding apace, according to heartwire.
Only 60% of cardiology practices are doctor-owned, compared with 72% 5 years ago, and 24% are hospital owned – a drastic rise compared with 8% in 2007.
German engineers develop a non-metal hip implant for long-term use | MassDevice.com On Call
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A German team developed a new hip replacement implant that may be the answer to the high-profile hip device debates following the recall of DePuy’s metal-on-metal implants.
The researchers announced new hip implants that "unlike the conventional counterpart implants on the market today, provide a metal-free solution and bone-like elasticity."