• CardioNet (Conshohocken, Pennsylvania) reported clinical and reporting enhancements to the company's existing Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry service. These enhancements assist physicians to access more in-depth data to better diagnose atrial fibrillation, heart pauses, and ventricular tachycardia (a potentially dangerous fast heartbeat). CardioNet says the new clinical indicators are important for monitoring patients who are suffering from cardiac events, both symptomatic and asymptomatic. These indicators become even more important when used in combination with SomNet, CardioNet's program for identifying a sleep disorder indicator. In the case of SomNet, a more definitive diagnosis can be made as to the relationship of arrhythmias to sleep disorders. With this latest enhancement to the CardioNet MCOT service, doctors can see the frequency, time, and duration of cardiac events within every 24 hours.

• CryoLife (Atlanta) reported the first clinical implant of its BioFoam Surgical Matrix/. BioFoam was used in a liver resection procedure following tumor removal as a supplemental measure to promote hemostasis (a complex process that stops bleeding) by sealing vessels. BioFoam, a protein hydrogel biomaterial, contains an expansion agent which generates a mixed-cell foam. The foam creates a mechanical barrier to decrease blood flow and pores for the blood to enter, leading to cellular aggregation and enhanced hemostasis. It can be used intraoperatively to control internal organ hemorrhage, limit blood loss, and reduce the need for future reoperations in liver resections. BioFoam is based on the same protein hydrogel technology platform from which BioGlue Surgical Adhesive was developed. BioFoam received CE-mark approval for use as an adjunct in the sealing of abdominal parenchymal tissues (liver and spleen) when cessation of bleeding by ligature or other conventional methods is ineffective or impractical.

• LifeNet Health (Virginia Beach, Virginia) reported the first implant of a CardioGraft allograft cardiac patch product with MatrACELL decellularization technology. MatrACELL Technology is a process to render allograft tissue acellular, removing more than 99% of the donor genetic material. It is well documented in the surgical literature that the donor cell component of cryopreserved cardiovascular tissue is the source of its three primary failure modes: calcification, stenosis and immunogenicity. MatrACELL Technology is a methodology that safely removes donor cells from cardiovascular tissues while retaining the native biomechanical strength of the tissue.