
Medtech giants like Medtronic, Abbott, and Edwards Lifesciences captured the minds of MassDevice readers alongside news from tech giant Apple, which entered the spotlight with a landmark FDA approval.
The most popular stories of 2024 covered innovations in mapping, monitoring, and minimally invasive procedures, while digital health tools continued to transform patient management. Pulsed-field ablation is an especially hot space.
Based on reader engagement, here are the top 10 cardiac device stories of 2024:
10. FDA approves Medtronic’s Affera cardiac mapping and ablation system and Sphere-9 catheter

9. Medtronic launches next-gen surgical aortic tissue valve
Medtronic launched its next-generation Avalus Ultra surgical aortic tissue valve in April of 2024, offering improved ease of use, long-term durability, and clear visibility for future valve-in-valve procedures. The FDA-cleared device has a low-profile PEEK frame for consistent circularity and an effective orifice area to enhance blood flow. With more complex cases of aortic stenosis, Medtronic aims to meet evolving surgical needs through innovative technologies designed to improve patient outcomes.
Read more about the next-gen surgical aortic tissue valve >>
8. Medtronic touts cost-effectiveness of Linq insertable cardiac monitors

7. Abbott is launching its latest Navitor TAVI system in the U.S.

6. Edwards wins FDA approval for its Evoque replacement tricuspid valve
Edwards Lifesciences won FDA approval for its Evoque tricuspid valve replacement system. The company said it was the first transcatheter therapy to receive an FDA nod to treat tricuspid regurgitation. The system has a nitinol self-expanding frame, intra-annular skirt, and tissue leaflets made from bovine pericardial tissue.
Read more about the Evoque replacement tricuspid valve >>
5. Canary Medical has first-in-human implant of heart sound monitor
Canary Medical completed its first-in-human limited feasibility trial of its cardiac auscultation monitoring device. The company designed it as an implantable sensor that provides daily adjunctive objective cardiac parameter measurements. In a two-person trial, the device demonstrated visible mitral regurgitation sound signals from the sensor compared to normal acoustic heart signals.
Read more about the heart sound monitor >>
4. Medtronic wins CE mark for next-gen Micra leadless pacemakers

3. Abbott completes first-in-human leadless left bundle branch area pacing procedures
Abbott announced it completed the world’s first human leadless left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) cases using its Aveir conduction system pacing leadless pacemaker. Abbott said that Aveir could mimic the heart’s natural beat, giving patients with slower-than-normal heart rhythms a potential new treatment. The company has FDA breakthrough device designation for Aveir.
Read more about the implants and the device >>
2. Abbott announces first procedures with Volt pulsed field ablation system

Get more information about the first procedures and the pulsed field ablation technology >>
1. Apple Watch’s AFib detection tool earns landmark FDA approval
Apple won FDA approval for its AFib detection tool on its Apple Watch. It was the first digital health technology that qualified under the Medical Device Development Tools program. Apple designed the AFib technology as a biomarker test to evaluate estimates of AFib burden as a secondary effectiveness endpoint within clinical studies to help evaluate the safety and effectiveness of cardiac ablation devices in AFib treatment.