The advent of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) changed the framework for dealing with aortic valve stenosis, but some clinicians might argue there was a corresponding and inappropriate rush away from surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).

Years after a setback to its clinical program, Medtronic plc‘s Symplicity brand renal denervation (RDN) system appears to be firing on all pistons. The Dublin-based company said this week that it will begin enrolling patients in a pilot study to assess the safety and efficacy of its newer-generation Symplicity Spyral using a targeted procedural approach with fewer radiofrequency (RF) ablations.

Medicare coverage of ventricular assist devices assumes the patient is either in end-stage heart failure or could become a candidate for transplant, but that approach may soon change. Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill., has asked that Medicare coverage assume the patient can recover myocardial function, a paradigm shift that is backed by clinical evidence.

The market for multinational medical device companies in China has largely been driven by use only in major public hospitals for patients who pay mostly or entirely out-of-pocket. But that’s continuing to change in ways that could offer a window onto medical device trends in the region over the coming decades.

Medtronic plc has gained CE mark approval for its Cobalt and Crome portfolio, the company’s first implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillators (CRT-Ds) to offer connected health via Bluesync technology. The portfolio will be rolled out on a country-by-country basis throughout Europe, with initial implants in select countries to begin soon.

Intuitive Surgical Inc. more than gave back all its 2020 share price gains thus far, dipping almost 4% on earnings news. Over the past few years, its valuation (NASDAQ:ISRG) repeatedly has climbed, only to later retrench and then rise again to a slightly higher peak.

Dublin-based Medtronic plc has snagged the U.S. FDA’s approval for its Micra AV, the world’s smallest pacemaker with atrioventricular (AV) synchrony. The company said it will begin rolling out the device at a limited number of medical centers in the upcoming weeks, with a full, nationwide launch sometime this spring. About the size of a large vitamin pill, the leadless Micra AV is indicated for the treatment of patients with AV block, a disorder that occurs when the electrical signal traveling from the atria, or upper chambers of the heart, to the ventricles, or lower chambers, is impaired.

SAN FRANCISCO – This was the final presentation for Omar Ishrak at the J.P. Morgan (JPM) Healthcare Conference. He has held the CEO position at Medtronic plc since June 2011. During that period, the Dublin-based company managed to roughly quadruple its valuation to $160 billion from $40 billion – making Ishrak’s tenure clearly a successful one.

Dublin-based Medtronic plc received a CE mark for its Percept PC neurostimulator to treat neurologic disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. It is the first deep brain stimulation system launched in the EU that integrates the company’s technology to sense and record brain signals, known as Brainsense. It’s intended to enable more personalized treatment driven by that data.

Dublin-based Medtronic plc reported Wednesday that the U.S. FDA has given the green light to its Stealth Autoguide system. The company said it is the first cranial robotic platform that integrates with its enabling technology portfolio to create an end-to-end procedural solution.