The Cardiovascular Research Technologies 2024 conference in Washington this week demonstrated continued positive outcomes for patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement with devices made by Abbott Laboratories, Edwards Lifesciences Corp. or Medtronic plc.
Edwards Lifesciences Corp. set analysts a-spin ahead of its investor day activities with the revelation it plans to launch its critical care unit as a stand-alone public company next year. Edwards expects that dividing the business will allow it to focus on cardiovascular and surgical markets.
Xenter Inc. is seeking patent protection for capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) containing medical devices, including intraluminal devices such as guidewires and catheters comprising sensors for imaging and/or measuring of one or more physiological parameters.
Emboline Inc. is seeking patent protection for methods and apparatus for embolic protection during cardiac procedures being performed on atrial outlet valves, namely, the mitral and tricuspid valves.
Medtronic plc got a jump on its cardiology competitors with big news ahead of the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference that starts on Oct 24 in San Francisco, with U.S. FDA approval of its Aurora extravascular implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (EV-ICD). The system delivers defibrillation and heart pacing without placing wires in the heart or vasculature. That puts it in direct competition with Boston Scientific Corp.’s Emblem S-ICD, currently the only player in the market.
At its Investor Day on September 20, Boston Scientific Corp. unveiled an ambitious long-range plan to become “the highest performing med-tech large-cap company” in terms of financial performance, sales growth, EPS, execution and talent retention.” That’s a notable step up from its 2021 goal of being just one of the top performers.
The annual volume of implant of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices has grown steadily over the years, and that volume might sustain its upward trajectory over the next few years if the results of a new analysis of more than 46,000 TAVR patients gain traction. The data for these patients with minimally symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) predictably indicated that this group was less susceptible to bad outcomes than those with more severe symptoms, but one of the hopes is that earlier intervention into AS could ward off future cardiovascular events, a finding which might justify expanded payer coverage for TAVR in these patient populations.
Medtronic plc presented 10-year results from its ongoing trial comparing transcatheter aortic valve implantation with surgical aortic valve replacement. The results support use of the Medtronic Corevalve platform for lower risk of severe valve deterioration compared to surgical replacement.
Peijia Medical Co. Ltd. reported the implant of its Taurustrio transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system in a first patient as part of a multi-center trial getting one step closer to launching the first TAVR system for aortic regurgitation (AR) in China.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) devices are all the rage for treatment of aortic valve disease, but that doesn’t mean valve reconstruction via the so-called Ozaki procedure has been consigned to the pages of medical history. The U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended that trusts in the U.K. health system use this procedure only in clinical trials at least for the time being, although the agency noted that the Ozaki procedure allows the patient to sidestep the need for long-term antithrombotic therapy, a big selling point for patients and clinicians alike.