More than 35,000 physicians, allied healthcare providers and industry representatives descended on the cavernous convention center in Boston’s up-and-coming Seaport section for the Heart Rhythm Society’s annual meeting.
HRS 2012
MassDevice.com +7 | The top 7 med-tech stories for the week of May 7, 2012.

Say hello to MassDevice +7, a bite-sized view of the top seven med-tech stories of the week. This latest feature of MassDevice.com’s coverage highlights our seven biggest and most influential stories from the week’s news to make sure you’re up to date on the headlines that continue to shape the medical device industry.
If you read nothing else this weekend, make sure you’re still in the know with MassDevice +7.
HRS 2012: Cost-effective treatment with CRT-Ds means giving them to more people
HRS 2012: Is Cameron Health’s ‘leadless’ ICD a niche product or a game-changer?

The so-called "leadless" implantable cardiac defibrillator made by Cameron Health made its debut at the Heart Rhythm Society’s annual meeting this week, generating considerable excitement among physicians here in Boston.
Two studies presented at the conference, 1 sponsored by Cameron Health to back its investigational device exemption application with the FDA and a 2nd, "real-world" evaluation of European patients, both showed that the subcutaneous ICD has comparable safety and effectiveness rates as more traditional transvenous ICDs.
HRS 2012: Boston Scientific’s Watchman as effective as Warfarin

A medical device made by Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) designed to trap blood clots in the heart could be an important tool for preventing stroke in high-risk atrial fibrillation patients, researchers said today at the annual Heart Rhythm Society meeting in Boston.
HRS 2012 Update: Ablation beats drugs in safety, efficacy in AF patients



Patients with a common heart rhythm disorder who received treatment with cardiac ablation were arrhythmia-free longer than patients taking drugs, suggesting that ablation should be a 1st-order approach to managing an erratic heart beat, according to a new study.
Unveiled at this year’s Heart Rhythm Society in Boston, the study found that patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation who received ablation therapy were 20% less likely to see a recurrence than patients taking anti-arrhythmic medication.
GE Healthcare inks co-development deal with J&J’s Biosense Webster




Biotronik touts FDA approval for next-gen heart devices at HRS 2012 | Regulatory Roundup
HRS 2012: New imaging may better predict who needs an ICD | MassDevice.com On Call


MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A new imaging tool could help cardiologists better determine which patients are at the highest risk of sudden cardiac arrest and would most likely benefit from receiving an implanted cardioverter defibrillator, according to researchers at the University of Buffalo.
The researchers reported the findings of the UB Parapet study, touted as the largest PET study imaging study ever done on cardiac arrest, at this year’s Heart Rhythm Society meeting.
HRS 2012: Boston Scientific’s Watchman as effective as Warfarin



A medical device made by Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) designed to trap blood clots in the heart could be an important tool for preventing stroke in high-risk atrial fibrillation patients, researchers said today at the annual Heart Rhythm Society meeting in Boston.
HRS 2012: St. Jude calms fears about Durata lead, touts 10-year ICD study



St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ) tried to distance its Durata defibrillator leads from their troubled Riata predecessor and unveiled the results of the decade-long SCD-HeFT heart failure study during separate presentations at this year’s Heart Rhythm Society meeting in Boston, Mass.