Medtronic plc won expanded FDA 510(k) approval for its Arctic Front family of cardiac cryoablation catheters for alternative treatment of recurrent symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) as an alternative to the current standard first-line treatment, antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) therapy. The Arctic Front family of catheters are the first catheter ablation devices in the U.S. approved to help physicians improve AF patient outcomes before drug failure. They have also been proven to shorten the time to diagnosis, according to Dublin-based Medtronic.

Cleerly Inc. snapped up $43 million in a series B fundraising round to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced imaging to better understand heart disease and more accurately project patient outcomes. Vensana Capital led the round with participation from the American College of Cardiology, Cigna Ventures, Dititx Partners, Lrvhealth (formerly Long River Ventures), New Leaf Venture Partners and returning investors.

Paris – Cardinor AS has secured $1.44 million to commercialize development of a novel ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) blood test that uses secretoneurin as a blood-based biomarker for heart disease and sudden cardiac arrest. London-based Intuitive Investments Group plc participated in this third seed round, along with existing Belgium and German investors.

Acutus Medical Inc. scored big with regulators in recent weeks. The company, which focuses on devices to diagnose and treat cardiac arrhythmias, received FDA approval to launch an investigational device exemption clinical trial for its Acqblate Force sensing ablation catheter and system in atrial fibrillation just two weeks after gaining CE mark approval for a broad suite of electrophysiology products.

The FDA granted breakthrough device designation to Volumetrix LLC for its NIVAHF monitoring system for heart failure. The device is the first application of the company’s noninvasive venous waveform analysis (NIVA) technology, which captures and analyzes vital information about blood volume to assess patient status.

The controversy over the use of paclitaxel in devices for the peripheral vasculature has taken a significant bite out of sales, but a new study serves to help reverse the narrative regarding mortality. According to a study of more than 168,000 Medicare patients, stents and angioplasty balloons coated with paclitaxel (PTX) were non-inferior to non-coated devices for mortality out to nearly three years, a finding that may encourage clinicians to return to normal utilization patterns and thus help to restore sales volumes.

Neovasc Inc. has hit pause on its Tiara transfemoral mitral valve replacement (TF) program and is cutting its workforce by more than 40%, citing the additional time and substantial investment required to develop the program and the associated costs. The changes are expected to extend its cash runway from about 18 months to more than three years. The changes were implemented with about 18 months to remain solvent as part of a series of actions to focus on enhancing current shareholder value and focusing investments on near-term value drivers, namely the Reducer stent and the Tiara transapical mitral valve replacement (TA) system.

PARIS – Affluent Medical SAS aims to raise $40 million on the Euronext Paris regulated market to finalize the development of three minimally invasive prostheses in urology and interventional cardiology. The Aix-en-Provence, France-based med-tech will issue 3,387,210 new shares. Affluent has already received subscription pledges exceeding $24 million, including $12 million from funds managed by Paris-based Truffle Capital.

The FDA granted Neurescue a "two-fer" on its intelligent balloon catheter for aortic occlusion with 510(k) clearance for emergency control of hemorrhage and investigational device exemption for use in cardiac arrest. By inflating a soft balloon at diaphragm level, the device dramatically increases perfusion to the heart, brain and lungs within a minute of deployment via the femoral artery.

Medtrace Pharma A/S raised $30 million in a series B round to ramp its platform for production, infusion and analysis of ¹⁵O-water in medical imaging. Swiss-based Swisscanto Invest, along with fund managers ATP and Bankinvest group from Denmark, are the lead investors. “We can now ramp our European and U.S. expansions plans in myocardial perfusion imaging and in other indications in need of perfusion data,” Martin Stenfeldt, CEO and co-founder of Medtrace, told BioWorld.