Cardio

Biotronik’s press department was in overdrive at EuroPCR last week, announcing that twelve-month results from the BIOSOLVE-I study with the DRug Eluting Absorbable Metal Scaffold (DREAMS) demonstrate safety and confirm vessel vasomotion.

Another press release from Biotronik following last week’s EuroPCR meeting in Paris talks of six-month results from the DELUX registry demonstrating excellent safety and efficacy results for the Pantera Lux Paclitaxel Releasing Balloon.

Results presented at EuroPCR demonstrate minimally invasive “Parachute” device from CardioKinetix could transform treatment options for patients as two year results suggest significant improvement in condition.

We’re keen to keep you informed of future events in your chosen, or related specialty. To that end we’ve trawled the heart congresses taking place in the next twelve months and provided this helpful list with links.

Not satisfied with just drug elution as a means of reducing neointimal hyperplasia, OrbusNeich has built in an Endothelial Progenitor Cell capture coating which appears in this blinded study to improve neointimal appearance at 9 months.

Merit Medical Systems will be recruiting up to 200 staff over the next five years at its newly opened €20M Galway facility, already an employer of 379. The aim is to make the facility the company’s centre of excellence for new product and technology development.

Edwards Lifesciences’ Sapien XT may not be FDA cleared, but in Europe at least the company is generating a nice body of data suggesting that at least in the short term the valve performs well in high risk patients. These data have been presented at EuroPCR 2012 in Paris this week.

It’s EuroPCR week, so cardiothoracic companies are timing their press announcements to coincide with the event. Californian company Elixir Medical’s fully bioabsorbable drug eluting coronary scaffold has been the subject of what looks like a very promising clinical study presented during the event.

Dual anti-platelet therapy is normally required for 6-12 months after implantation of a stent, with associated risks, costs and general inconvenience. No wonder then that Abbott is sounding pleased with itself as it gains the first indication of its kind to reduce the therapeutic period to a minimum of 3 months based on data from 10,000 patients.

EuroPCR is being held in Paris right now and is the European focal point for all things cardiovascular. St. Jude Medical, Inc. has chosen the event to announce CE Mark Approval and launch of its EnligHTN™ renal denervation system.

MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC has announced that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its new MEGA 7.5Fr. 30cc and 40cc intra-aortic balloon (IAB) catheters. These new, larger volume catheters will allow clinicians to provide patients with greater haemodynamic support, regardless of their height.

Direct injection of stem cells and other biotherapeutics into the myocardium is quite a hot topic, so the announcement of an optimised injection catheter must be well timed.

It’s that time again. Friday’s the chance to review the week just gone. This week it’s been Heart Rhythm 2012, so there’s plenty to chew on as the controversies and indeed the advances keep coming.

St.Jude clearly wants to remind its audience that it’s a company at the forefront of cardiac electrophysiology, and has timed a flurry of good news press releases to coincide with Heart Rhythm 2012.

Following CE marking earlier this year, Heart Rhythm 2012 sees Sorin announce FDA approval and US launch of its new pacing, defibrillation and left ventricular leads.

ICD lead session at Heart Rhythm meeting, as reported by cardiac electrophysiologist John Mandrola, sounds like it gave the subject a thorough going-over and concluded that St.Jude’s Durata appears to significantly outperform its predecessor, while not yet having a big enough body of data behind it to convince the naysayers.