HONG KONG – Ultrasight Ltd. has closed a $13 million series B funding round, and is a step closer to entering the clinic in the U.S. with its cardiac ultrasound software. With the funds in hand, Rehovot, Israel-based Ultrasight aims to start clinical trials in the U.S. for its artificial intelligence (AI)-guided software for cardiac ultrasound.

Egnite Inc. emerged from stealth mode in February 2021 with the goal of combining data analytics and digital health technology to illuminate and solve persistent issues in the diagnosis and treatment of structural heart disease. Three months later, it has added artificial intelligence (AI) to its flagship solution, Cardiocare, to drive better diagnosis of aortic stenosis and help physicians predict patient outcomes.

Acutus Medical Inc. appears to have solved one of the more vexing problems in cardiology, the sheer persistence of persistent atrial fibrillation despite treatment. In a study recently published in Heart Rhythm, the Carlsbad, Calif.-based company demonstrated that 73% of patients undergoing ablation using the new pulmonary vein isolation plus core-to-boundary guided approach experienced acute termination of AF after one procedure, compared to 10% of patients undergoing ablation with the traditional posterior wall isolation approach.

The history of Medicare coverage of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices has not lacked for controversy despite the massive positive impact on outcomes. Ashwin Nathan, of Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said a new analysis made clear that the expansion of centers qualified to perform TAVR procedures has been nearly all in high population density areas with an existing TAVR program, thus leaving out the still-forgotten rural patient.

Atricure Inc. has received the green light from the FDA for its Epi-Sense guided coagulation system with Visitrax technology to treat patients diagnosed with long-standing, persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). The device was previously cleared via a 510(k) for the coagulation of cardiac tissue, and is already available in the U.S. The FDA approval represents the first and only minimally invasive ablation therapy for the more than 3 million Americans with longstanding AF.

TORONTO – Opsens Inc. has inked an agreement with Madrid, Spain’s Cathmedical Cardiovascular SA to integrate its coronary physiology algorithms with the Spanish firm’s next generation hemodynamic system, notably Opsens’ diastolic pressure ratio (DPR) for measuring diastolic heart pressure.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) hopes artificial intelligence (AI) can dramatically increase adoption of its frequently ignored guidelines for cardiovascular care. In three new studies, the ACC will implement Healthreveal's AI to recommend personalized interventions with the goal of preempting adverse cardiovascular events and improving patient outcomes, while increasing physicians’ adherence to guideline-directed medical therapy.

CMS has posted the draft Medicare inpatient rule for fiscal year 2022, replete with the usual controversies over reassignment of procedures under the Medicare diagnostic grouping system. One bit of good news is that the agency may carry over several expired new technology add-on payments (NTAPs) into the coming fiscal year, a move prompted by the difficulty of collecting claims data from fiscal year 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medtronic plc reported positive interim results on the first 171 patients implanted with Evolut transaortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices in its OPTIMIZE PRO clinical trial. The postmarket, prospective, multicenter study is assessing procedural outcomes, including pacemaker rate, associated with in-procedure techniques and post-procedure TAVR care pathways when using the self-expanding, supra-annular Evolut Pro and Pro+ TAVR systems in patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis.