Interventional Cardiology

Impella cVAD from Abiomed looks like a great tool for the cardiologist faced with the need to provide short term haemodynamic support for cardiac patients, with the advantage that insertion is percutaneous.

Boston Scientific has trumpeted the CE mark approval of its INGENIO™ and ADVANTIO™ pacemakers and INVIVE™ cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemakers.

Boston Scientific has announced the immediate launch of its new Z Flex-270 steerable sheath to enable Cardiologists to precisely steer ablation catheters of up to 12F to target tissue.

Heart Rhythm 2012 is looking into view. Wonder if they’ll mention ICD leads.

St Jude medical is taking the initiative over more of its leads in which so-called externalisation can result in problems, by issuing a physician advisory letter.

Biotronik is touting a new paper in European Heart publication, Europace, in which investigators across 57 study sites grade their devices as excellent in 80% of cases.

Crux’s Vena Cava Filter is looking like a winner with good investigator feedback and clinical results as reported at last week’s Society of Interventional Radiology meeting in San Francisco.

Vasostitch looks like a clever device for accessing and then closing tissue during femoral or transapical insertion of therapeutic devices. The company pitched up at this year’s ACC, so we look forward to hearing their feedback after the event.

Two studies presented at ACC 2012 suggest that Medtronic’s Symplicity System for renal denervation shows safe, sustained and significant blood pressure reduction in treatment-resistant hypertension patients.

St Jude’s ICD Lead Data will now be collected and analysed by 3rd party specialist researchers, the Population Health Research Institute.

St Jude agrees to a fixed forward royalty payments and to ongoing exclusive use of Kensey Nash’s Collagen in its AngioSeal device following mediated settlement.

American College of Cardiology Meeting coming up next weekend.

Will MRG’s report into growth in the German Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion market be a best seller. Bit nichey perhaps, but an indicator of the potential for the procedure.

Medtronic raises the bar in MRI compatible pacing leads with CE mark for its new small diameter offering.

A new publication casts doubt on stenting of stable coronary artery disease patients as a supportable first treatment.

It’s a great story unless you’re the victim. We’ve known curry houses which induce “illness”, but this takes the cake.