Atherectomy devices play a key role in dealing with calcified coronary arteries. But a study presented at this year’s Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics demonstrates that angioplasty balloons made a lot of headway in this clinical area, potentially pushing atherectomy devices into the fringes of routine practice.
Some studies suggest a need for cardiologists to rethink their approach to device implant. However, the TAVR UNLOAD study failed to demonstrate a statistically significant difference between device implant and medical management for patients with aortic stenosis and low left ventricular ejection fraction.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices continue to make a splash in the world of medical technology, with the Sapien 3 by Edwards Lifesciences Corp. leading the way. Results of the EARLY TAVR study strongly suggest a need for implant in asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis, a development that should help sustain and possibly increase sales of these devices for the next few years.
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.
The 2022 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics annual meeting highlighted mostly positive outcomes from major trials conducted by nearly all the big players in the cardiac device market. Here’s our round-up of the meeting’s high points, with updates from Abbott Laboratories, Abiomed Inc., Boston Scientific Corp., Edwards Lifesciences Corp., Inari Medical Inc., Medtronic plc and Recor Medical Inc.
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.
Abiomed Inc., has worked the ventricular assist device (VAD) space for a number of years with its Impella series of VADs, and a study coming out of Japan seems to affirm investors’ confidence in these devices. This registry study demonstrated that the combination of Impella devices and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides a 30-day survival rate of more than three in four patients with cardiogenic shock, an outcome that is said to support the notion that the native heart tissue can recover from myocarditis, an especially salient consideration for those who contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
In an unexpected turn of events, Medtronic plc presented results from the Symplicity HTN-3 trial at year 3 showed sustained reductions in blood pressure with radiofrequency renal denervation (RDN) for resistant hypertension, contrary to the trial’s results at the six-month mark—and it wasn’t alone in showing positive results for the procedure.
It has long been known that patients recover more quickly from transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) than from open-heart surgery for valve replacement (SAVR) and results at two years looked good, too, with very similar outcomes. The question remained what happens in the longer term?
A new study has found that despite the risk, many patients are open to interventional procedures such as renal denervation (RDN) if it can lead to improved blood pressure. RDN is performed under local anesthetic and uses radio frequency ablation to burn the nerves in the renal arteries. The process causes a reduction in nerve activity, which decreases blood pressure.
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