Boston Scientific Corp. and Abbott Laboratories continue to parry over clinical trials comparing the latter’s Amplatzer Amulet with Boston Scientific’s Watchman in sealing the heart’s left atrial appendage (LAA) to prevent ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (Afib). In one of five presentations at the 34th Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual scientific symposium in Boston in mid-September, Abbott said device-related thrombosis or peri-device leak more frequently preceded strokes in patients with Watchman compared to those with Abbott’s Amplatzer Amulet device.

Volta Medical SAS reported validation for its VX1 software mapping system, an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm compatible with most commonly available multi-pole catheters and technology used in operating rooms and cath labs for treating cardiac arrhythmia. Results from the proof-of-concept-study were published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology.

Shanghai Microport Ep Medtech Co. Ltd. went public on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market and raised ¥1.17 billion (US$169.5 million) with its initial public offering. The company’s issue price was ¥16.51 per share. After opening at ¥15.50 per share, the share price dived to ¥13.15 at the closing of its first trading day. Microport Ep is an associated company of the Hong Kong-listed Microport Scientific Corp.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a very common diagnosed arrhythmia and catheter ablation is an effective treatment, but recurrence occurs after catheter ablation and remains a medical challenge. MicroRNAs can be easily detected in the circulation, and they are epigenetic regulators in many biological processes; their usefulness as biomarkers of risk stratification in patients with AF was investigated.

Factor XIa inhibitors milvexian and asundexian, hailed as the next-generation class of anticoagulants, earned mixed reviews on phase II data presented during the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2022. However, developers Bristol Myers Squibb Co./Janssen Pharmaceutical Co. and Bayer AG, respectively, are moving into late-stage testing, citing clear mechanisms of action that put the FXIa drugs at least on par with approved factor Xa drugs in terms of efficacy while offering potentially better safety profiles that could give physicians an option for patients with stroke or atrial fibrillation who are currently undertreated with anticoagulants due to bleeding risks.

With the launch of the Mawi Heart Patch in the U.S., physicians and patients have a lightweight, wireless heart monitoring system that provides seven days of cardiac information. Using a disposable two-lead system affixed to the chest, the device provides a detailed report within 24 hours and can reduce time to diagnosis by 97%, Mawi Inc. said.

The U.S. FDA has cleared the first clinical grade watch for characterizing atrial fibrillation (afib), the most common type of heart arrhythmia in which the heart beats too slowly or irregularly. Developed by Verily, the health tech arm of Alphabet Inc., together with IRhythm Technologies Inc., the Zio Watch will leverage the ability of IRhythm’s Zeus system to diagnose cardiac arrhythmias by combining wearable biosensing with cloud-based data analytics and artificial intelligence.

Abbott Laboratories reported results from its PERSIST-END study demonstrating that close to nine in 10 patients treated for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) with its Tacticath contact force ablation, sensor-enabled (Tacticath SE) were free of symptoms of their arrhythmia over 15 months of follow-up. The study’s findings, which supported a November 2021 FDA approval for persistent AF, also showed significant improvement in patients’ quality of life and a more than 50% cut in the use of health care resources, the company said.

Eko Devices Inc. launched a redesigned app and smart stethoscope system to detect heart disease during a regular physical, potentially reducing the time to diagnosis and treatment for America’s number one killer. The system incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) to identify heart murmurs and atrial fibrillation with performance the company says is on par with cardiologists.