The top 10 cardio device stories of 2025

Pulsed-field ablation, transcatheter heart valves, and intravascular lithotripsy are among the top stories, as they drive growth among the largest cardio device companies.

Though, over the past year, one of the most exciting cardio tech developments involved the revival of a technology that sparked people’s imagination for decades.

Here are the top 10 cardio device stories that gained the most attention from MassDevice’s audience over the past year:

10. Medtronic sees success with its Affera pulsed field ablation technology.

Medtronic, in April 2025, announced positive clinical outcomes from two studies of its pulsed field ablation (PFA) technologies for treating AFib. The studies looked at the Affera family of technologies. Those include the next-generation Sphere-360 single-shot PFA catheter and the Sphere-9 combination mapping and dual-energy focal PFA catheter.

PFA technology has generated excitement for its potential to treat AFib without some of the complications seen with radiofrequency (RF) ablation, and it has become a major growth driver at the world’s largest medtech company. In just its second quarter ending Oct. 24, 2025, Medtronic’s Cardiac Ablation Solutions revenue increased 71% year-over-year, including 128% in the U.S., driven by the success of Affera.

PFA pioneer Dr. Steven Mickelsen — co-founder of Farapulse (now part of Boston Scientific) — will appear on the second day of our DeviceTalks Cardiac Innovations Webinar Series to discuss how his venture Field Medical is designing ventricular-tachycardia-focused systems and preview his next innovation, extending PFA beyond the heart. The series runs Feb. 3–5, 2025. Register here.

9. TCT 2025 saw more positive studies backing renal denervation.

This year’s Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference saw mounting evidence in support of minimally invasive renal denervation as a therapy for high blood pressure. Medtronic released multiple study results backing its radiofrequency-based Symplicity Spyral, and Recor had positive data for its Paradise ultrasound RDN (uRDN) platform.

8. Medtronic has new leadership in Cardiovascular.

Medtronic saw a change in leadership at the top of its Cardiovascular portfolio, with Skip Kiil moving from his previous post running Medtronic Cranial & Spinal Therapies to become EVP and president of Cardiovascular. The move came after the departure of Sean Salmon, who spent more than two decades at Medtronic

Medtronic appears set to boost its cardio portfolio further now that it is stepping up its shopping for tuck-in acquisitions. This month, the company invested $90 million in Anteris Technologies, which is developing a balloon-expandable, biomimetic TAVR.

Find out more about Medtronic and other major cardio device companies in our MassDevice Cardio Device Companies Special Report. Download for free here.

7. Boston Scientific has another TAVR setback.

In May, Boston Scientific halted global sales of its Acurate neo2 and Acurate Prime transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) systems, citing an increased regulatory burden in the U.S. and Europe. The Accurate TAVR systems had been Boston Scientific’s next bet to compete against Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic in the space after the discontinuation of its Lotus TAVR program five years ago.

Despite the TAVR setback, analysts say Boston Scientific is set for continued durable growth on the strength of medtech, including its Farapulse pulsed field ablation, Watchman FLX left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) device, and more.

Purchase and download our Medtech Market Intelligence Report about the transcatheter heart valves market.

6. Edwards Lifesciences acquired a miniature heart pressure sensor implant.

Edwards LifeSciences in 2025 spent $497 million to purchase Vectorious Medical Technologies and its V-LAP, a miniature, implantable left atrial pressure sensor. V-LAP is meant to enable the remote monitoring of the heart and congestion status. It also allows for the self-adjustment of diuretics. The goal is physician-directed patient self-management of chronic heart failure.

Mitral valve repair and replacement is another exciting area of minimally invasive cardio procedures. We’ll explore the work behind Valcare Medical’s Amend transcatheter mitral valve repair system during day three of our DeviceTalks Cardiac Innovations Webinar Series, Feb. 3–5, 2025. Register here.

5. Boston Scientific makes an IVL play.

Boston Scientific made a bid last year to compete in the intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) space, buying IVL developer Bolt Medical for $600 million upfront and another $300 million in potential milestone payments. The FDA granted 510(k) clearance for the Bolt IVL system in March 2025; Boston Scientific’s acquisition closed the next month.

Bolt Medical designed its IVL advanced laser-based platform to treat coronary and peripheral artery disease. Its novel application of lithotripsy fractures calcium by creating acoustic pressure waves inside a balloon catheter. The system also includes visible, directional emitters to ensure consistent energy delivery during the treatment of calcified lesions.

4. Abbott moves forward on pulsed field ablation tech.

In late 2025, Abbott secured FDA approval for its Volt pulsed field ablation (PFA) system to treat patients with AFib. The regulatory nod brought Abbott Volt to the U.S. PFA market to compete against Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson MedTech and Kardium. It followed CE mark approval for Volt earlier in the year. Abbot describes Volt as a latest generation system that pairs a balloon-in-basket catheter with the EnSite X EP heart mapping system, which helps physicians visualize and position tools like the Volt PFA catheter in the heart.

This month, Abbott hit another milestone with PFA, announcing a CE mark for its TactiFlex Duo Ablation Catheter, Sensor-Enabled

3. The FTC blocks a major TAVR acquisition.

Edwards Lifesciences’ bid to acquire JenaValve for $1.2 billion, first announced in July 2024, was increasingly in trouble through 2025 amid antitrust concerns from the Federal Trade Commission. In August, the FTC sued to stop the deal, alleging that Edwards and JenaValve represented the only two companies in the U.S. evaluating their transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) technology for the treatment of aortic regurgitation (AR). On Jan. 10, 2026, Edwards announced it would not acquire JenaValve; the decision came a day after a federal judge in D.C. granted the FTC a preliminary injunction.

2. Johnson & Johnson MedTech is getting even more focused on cardio.

Expect Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s focus on cardiology to grow even more now that it plans to separate its DePuy Synthes Orthopaedics business. The world’s second-largest medtech company has seen strong growth in its Cardiovascular business, driven by major acquisitions in recent years. Those deals include the $13.1 billion purchase in 2024 of Shockwave Medical and its intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) technology that uses sonic waves to treat calcified arterial plaque. The Shockwave purchase followed J&J’s $400 million acquisition of left atrial appendage (LAA) device maker Laminar in 2023 and the $16.6 billion purchase of Abiomed and its catheter-delivered Impella heart pumps to treat heart failure in 2022.

Tim Schmid, J&J EVP and global medtech chair, shared the company’s growth playbook during our DeviceTalks West event in Santa Clara, California, in October.

We rank J&J MedTech and the other largest cardio device companies in our new MassDevice Cardio Device Companies Special Report. Download for free here.

1. Artificial hearts are back.

Dr. Robert K. Jarvik, who led the development of the first artificial heart, may have passed away in 2025, but his dream has seen a revival. Picard Medical, the company behind the SynCardia Total Artificial Heart (presently the only artificial heart available in the United States), brought in tens of millions off dollars in funding and financing after an initial public offering. Picard and SynCardia are moving forward on the next-gen Emperor, a fully implantable, driverless version of the Syncardia TAH. Add in the work of companies such as Bivacor and others, and 2025 could be remembered as the year that artificial hearts offered new hope for people with heart failure.

SynCardia COO Matt Schuster will describe the work on Emporer on the first day of our DeviceTalks Cardiac Innovations Webinar Series, Feb. 3–5, 2025. Register here.

Senior Editor Sean Whooley contributed to this report.