At first glance, the results of the CLOSURE-AF study would seem to spell doom for left atrial appendage closure devices for patients at risk of stroke, but there is some noise in the signal, including that the devices used in the study no longer represent the state of the med-tech art.

With the number of beats Boston Science Corp. has posted in recent years, it could be auditioning as a heavy metal drummer. Third quarter results kept up the streak, with overall sales 2% ahead of consensus at $5.07 billion and earnings per share of 75 cents, 5% above the Street’s expectations. The company’s two market-transforming products, Watchman and Farapulse, led the strong across-the-board performance, which would be no surprise by now except when looking at the stunning growth rates and sales both posted in the same quarter last year.

Boston Scientific Corp. continues to prove out its strategy of active acquisitions combined with industry-leading organic growth with the closing of its $88 million acquisition of Elutia Inc.’s Bioenvelope business and very positive targets for growth presented during its investor day on Sept. 30.

The U.S. FDA posted an Aug. 6 early alert regarding the use of the Watchman left atrial appendage device by Boston Scientific Corp., citing instances in which the device’s delivery system is associated with events of embolism.

The ink is barely dry on the draft Medicare physician fee schedule for 2026, but three cardiology societies blasted the draft for cutting rates for left atrial appendage closure procedures – a move they said needlessly endangers patients.

Boston Scientific Corp. handily beat expectations for sales growth and profits in the second quarter, led by 117% growth for its Farapulse pulsed field ablation system in the U.S. and 23% overall organic increase in revenue for cardiology. The company cut the expected impact of tariffs by 50% and raised guidance for earnings per share and sales for the year.

The U.S. FDA expanded the approval for use of Boston Scientific Corp.’s Watchman Flx and Watchman Flx Pro left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) devices to include post-ablation patients, bringing good news to the company as it preps for its second quarter earnings report on July 23.

Growth in the first quarter for Boston Scientific Corp.’s blockbuster products, Farapulse and Watchman, pushed the company well over analysts’ expectations and gave management confidence to raise its guidance for the year to 15% to 17% up from 12.4% to 14.5%, despite a projected $200 million in tariff impacts.

Three years after the U.S. FDA approval of Abbott Laboratories’ Amplatzer Amulet, results of its investigational device exemption trial failed to notably differentiate Abbott’s left atrial appendage occluder system from Boston Scientific Corp.’s market-dominant Watchman device beyond the ability to forego anticoagulants quickly after implantation.

Left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion procedures are designed to reduce the risk of thromboembolism in patients who have non-valvular atrial fibrillation, but a study presented at the 2023 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting in San Francisco demonstrated that about half of patients continue to have LAA leaks – and potentially the risk of dangerous blood clots and stroke – a year after the procedure.