Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories received an FDA approval for the Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder to treat patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), a condition in which a newborn has a persistent opening in the heart. Smaller than the size of a pea, the transcatheter device can be used on infants as small as 2 pounds. Roughly 1 in 5, or almost 12,000, premature infants in the U.S. have a hemodynamically significant PDA that requires urgent treatment. Read More
