The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will cover certain cardiac electrophysiology procedures in ambulatory surgical centers in 2026. This change which drew the support of both the Heart Rhythm Society and the American College of Cardiology, which could increase device utilization.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) is taking aim at the shortage of medical services with a program designed to foster development of micro-robots, or microbots, which will autonomously conduct part or all of a variety of surgical procedures.

Kakao Healthcare Corp. plans to secure ₩100 billion (US$68 million) through two investment deals with Cha Biomedical Group and outside investors by early next year. The transactions, expected to close by the first quarter of 2026, will make Cha the controlling shareholder of Kakao Healthcare with a 43.08% stake. Kakao Corp., the parent company, will hold 29.99%, and external investors will own 26.93%.

Archeon Medical SAS reported data from a study showing its real-time ventilation feedback device Eolife increased the survival rates of patients suffering out‑of‑hospital cardiac arrests. Furthermore, all the survivors in the Eolife group achieved full neurological recovery, three times the rate observed with conventional ventilation.

The recent strategic partnership Siemens Healthineers AG recently entered into with Boston Scientific Corp. to develop and commercialize an Acunav 4D intracardiac echocardiography catheter could drive “significant growth” for the company, Jochen Schmitz, CFO, at Siemens, told delegates at the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference, in London.

U.S. and European organ-on-a-chip specialty biotechnology companies are driving development of organ-on-a-chip technologies, fueled by the U.S. FDA’s decision to phase out animal testing for investigational new drugs.

Medtronic plc posted solid fiscal year second-quarter results led by the cardiovascular business with 9.3% growth. The Affera Sphere-9 pulsed field ablation system tripled the company’s sales in the hot PFA segment and pushed the cardiac ablation solutions unit to 71% growth, a nice uptick from the nearly 50% seen in its Q1.

South Korean researchers led by Lee In-suk of Yonsei University have reported the most complete oral microbiome catalog to date, with more than 72,000 genomes. Detailed in Cell Host & Microbe on Nov. 12, 2025, the database is expected to serve as a universal platform for academia and enable “precision microbiome medicine” for the industry, Lee told BioWorld.

At first glance, the results of the CLOSURE-AF study would seem to spell doom for left atrial appendage closure devices for patients at risk of stroke, but there is some noise in the signal, including that the devices used in the study no longer represent the state of the med-tech art.

Shares of Mountain View, Calif.-based Heartflow Inc. have oscillated significantly over the past three months, but the results of a study of the company’s plaque staging system have breathed new life into the company’s shares, boosting them by 7% in Nov. 10 trading.