Medical science has been experimenting with smart devices for several years to determine whether these products can detect circulatory system diseases, and a study presented at the 2022 meeting of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC 2022) seems to strongly suggest that the answer is a resounding yes. The eBRAVE-AF study of more than 5,500 enrollees of middle age or older demonstrated the ability of a smartphone camera and a downloadable app to at beat conventional screening for atrial fibrillation (AF), a finding that could save lives and boost the prospects of device makers in the digital health space.
Endotronix Inc. reported positive data from the SIRONA 2 clinical trial evaluating safety and efficacy of its Cordella pulmonary artery pressure sensor system in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III heart failure (HF) patients.
The race is on. After six years as the only FDA approved devices for left atrial appendage closure, Boston Scientific Corp.’s Watchman products face a challenger, Abbott Laboratories’ Amplatzer Amulet. With the Amulet’s FDA approval in mid-August and positive results in a head-to-head trial presented at the 2021 European Society of Cardiology Congress on Tuesday, the Watchman has reason to look over its shoulder at a competitor that could change the game entirely. The trial results were published simultaneously in Circulation.
Cryoablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) is not the standard of care, but a recent study may change at least some clinicians’ thinking on that score.