• Abiomed (Danvers, Massachusetts) reported completion of the enrollment of 20 patients in its pilot clinical trial of the Impella 2.5 circulatory support system. High-risk angioplasty is defined as patients undergoing angioplasty on an unprotected left main coronary artery lesion, or the last patent coronary conduit, and poor cardiac function. The MACH 2 study looked at patients who were admitted for an AMI with hemodynamic instability, had the necessary procedure to re-open the blocked artery, and then received the Impella 2.5 or standard care including intra-aortic balloon-pump for a few days. The preliminary results showed that patients supported by the Impella 2.5 technology had significantly improved cardiac function at three days and at four months after the heart attack as compared to the control group. The preliminary results showed an increase in ejection fraction of 9% and 13% at three days and at four months, respectively, in the Impella 2.5 group as compared to 2% and 5% in the control group. Abiomed makes products that provide circulatory support to acute heart failure patients across the continuum of care in heart recovery.

• Sonic Innovations (Salt Lake City) has introduced Velocity, its new digital hearing aid product family at the American Academy of Audiology National Convention and Exposition. The systems offered in Velocity give hearing impaired consumers the ability to use their hearing aids "hands-free." Using environmental sound cues, Velocity is able to automatically adjust the hearing aid settings to best meet the challenges of a particular listening situation, without requiring the wearer to press a button. Velocity features patented digital signal processing and advanced noise reduction, patent-pending adaptive directional technology, automatic directionality, adaptive feedback cancellation and several advanced user options, including patient-friendly voice alerts and automatic telephone listening settings that are activated when a conventional telephone is held to the ear. The company also introduced the ion 200, an open behind-the-ear product, at the The ion 200 technologies combine to automatically adjust the hearing aid as the consumer's listening environment changes. Sonic Innovations makes digital hearing aids.

• Spectral Diagnostics (Toronto) delivered a presentation documenting the efficacy of its proprietary RapidWN West Nile Virus IgM Test at the 39th Annual Oak Ridge Conference, titled "Harnessing New Technology for Clinical Diagnostics." The presentation outlines performance characteristics as well as the safety and effectiveness of the assay. Included in the data are results from studies at the National Microbiology Laboratory (Winnipeg), where Spectral's assay was found to correlate with the gold standard test, the Plaque Reduction and Neutralization (PRNT) assay, and 100 % of the time in acute cases of West Nile infection. The PRNT assay takes weeks to perform and requires specialized technicians and equipment. Spectral's assay gives results in less than thirty minutes and requires no special equipment or training. Spectral provides accurate and timely information to clinicians enabling the early initiation of appropriate and targeted therapy.

• SynCardia Systems (Tucson, Arizona), reports the availability for clinical investigation of a portable driver, the Companion, that is designed to allow stable U.S. patients to recover at home while they wait for their donor heart for transplant. For OR and ICU applications, the Companion is designed to be docked into a hospital cart that features a 15" monitor intended to be viewed from across a room. For stable patients to be discharged, the Companion is designed to be "re-docked" into a smaller caddy that features large wheels and an adjustable handle intended to facilitate patient mobility. SynCardia makes the only FDA- and CE Mark-approved temporary total artificial heart.