There is no evidence to support the differences in prices that the U.K.’s national health service (NHS) is paying for transcatheter heart valves from Abbott Laboratories, Boston Scientific Corp., Edwards Lifesciences Corp. and Medtronic plc, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Haemonetics Corp. received CE mark certification for the Savvywire pre-shaped pressure guidewire, a sensor-guided three-in-one guidewire for transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The solution, which is expected to enhance TAVI procedures and improve patient outcomes, is already being used in procedures in European countries.

Protembis GmbH received €20 million (US$21.66 million) in financing from the European Investment Bank to develop its cerebral embolic protection system, Protembo. The intra-aortic filter device deflects embolic material away from arteries leading to the brain during left-sided heart procedures including transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

The Cardiovascular Research Technologies 2024 conference in Washington this week demonstrated continued positive outcomes for patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement with devices made by Abbott Laboratories, Edwards Lifesciences Corp. or Medtronic plc.

Edwards Lifesciences Corp. set analysts a-spin ahead of its investor day activities with the revelation it plans to launch its critical care unit as a stand-alone public company next year. Edwards expects that dividing the business will allow it to focus on cardiovascular and surgical markets.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices are all the rage for treatment of aortic valve disease, but that doesn’t mean valve reconstruction via the so-called Ozaki procedure has been consigned to the pages of medical history. The U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended that trusts in the U.K. health system use this procedure only in clinical trials at least for the time being, although the agency noted that the Ozaki procedure allows the patient to sidestep the need for long-term antithrombotic therapy, a big selling point for patients and clinicians alike.

Among the many companies presenting data at the EuroPCR conference in Paris, several late breaking trials from heavy hitters Medtronic plc, Royal Phillips NV and Edwards Lifesciences Corp. stood out.

Device durability for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices remains topical for patients, payers and regulators, but the standard measure of 10-year data were difficult to obtain for the first decade after the FDA first approved a TAVR device in 2011. 

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) continues to grow, so it is little surprise that the 2022 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) annual meeting featured multiple presentations about TAVR-related devices and outcomes. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association’s latest guidelines recommends TAVR for patients over age 80 and surgery for those under age 65. Those in the middle can go either way, depending on comorbidities and patient preferences.