Press Releases

The American College of Cardiology today announced 35 selected hospitals that are pioneering a team approach to keep patients healthy and at home following admission for heart attack or heart failure. The hospitals from across the country are the first participants in the ACC Patient Navigator Program, which is the first program of its kind in cardiology and supports national efforts to reduce unnecessary patient readmissions.

Essential Medical, Inc., a privately held medical device company, announced today that it has received CE mark approval for X-Seal, a new vascular closure device with superior handling and closure features. 

Infraredx, Inc., a medical device company committed to advancing the diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with HealthTrust, a group purchasing organization. Under the agreement, HealthTrust will offer the Infraredx TVC Imaging System, a novel dual-modality intravascular imaging technology, to its member network of 1,400 acute care facilities.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association joins the World Stroke Organization in acknowledging the Global Stroke Bill of Rights, launched today at the 9th World Stroke Congress in Istanbul, Turkey.

On Oct. 16, 2014, surgeons with Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons became the first in Texas to implant the Solo Smart Aortic Pericardial Heart Valve. Faraz Kerendi, M.D. and Stephen J. Dewan M.D., cardiothoracic surgeons at Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons, performed the procedure at Heart Hospital of Austin.

Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) is the first medical center in Southern California, post-Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, to implant a new wireless device for heart failure patients. The device is designed to reduce readmissions to the hospital and empower patients to be involved in their own health information.

Deepak Srivastava, MD, the Director of the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease and Director of the Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine (IOM).

Northside Hospital Healthcare System continues to lead the Southeast in state-of-the-art surgical services with the introduction of three advanced robotic surgery technologies: The Magellan Robotic System, the da Vinci Xi Surgical System and the MAKOplasty surgical arm.

As part of its commitment to innovation and improving patient outcomes, Boston Scientific Corporation has initiated the PLATINUM Diversity trial to evaluate the clinical performance of the Promus PREMIER Everolimus-Eluting Platinum Chromium Coronary Stent System in underserved patient populations, including women and people of color. The Promus PREMIER Stent System is the company's latest durable polymer drug-eluting stent (DES) and is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat coronary artery disease. Wayne Batchelor, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I., and co-principal investigator, enrolled the first patient in the PLATINUM Diversity trial at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, in Tallahassee, Florida.

Boston Scientific Corporation has received CE Mark approval for the ACCOLADETM pacemaker family. When implanted with the company's INGEVITYTM leads, ACCOLADE pacemakers are the first to enable patients to receive full-body MRI scans in both 1.5 Tesla and 3.0 Tesla systems. In addition, the Boston Scientific ImageReadyTM technology offers the most flexible MRI options, allowing higher energy scan sequences, and featuring a programmable MRI timer designed to improve patient workflow.

Today, the electrophysiology service of the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Heart, Vascular and Stroke Care announces participation in a new Transatlantic Network of Excellence as part of a $6 million award from the Leducq Foundation.

Today, Boston Heart launched the Boston Heart Fatty Acid BalanceTM test, a blood test that provides novel indices of cardiovascular health. The test measures important fatty acid levels and the balance of beneficial and detrimental plasma fatty acids. With the test results, healthcare providers can make personalized dietary and supplement recommendations to decrease their patient’s risk of heart disease. Patients also gain a better understanding of how the foods they eat affect their heart health.

Cardiologists on the medical staff at Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital (BHVH) today implanted an investigational cardiac pacemaker the size of a multivitamin. The first implantable pacemakers, developed in the late-1950s, were nearer the size of a transistor radio.

Today, St. Vincent Heart Center officials announced that the faith-based hospital is the second in the nation to implant the new investigational “heart pump.” Dr. Christopher Salerno, cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Vincent Heart Center implanted the new Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS) called the HeartMate III on a 19-year-old patient. 

Mahendra Kumar, Ph.D., and Deborah Jones Weiss, Ph.D., M.Ed., in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, have received a $2.9 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to study cardiovascular disease in HIV-positive cocaine users.

The University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center is one of the first hospitals in the country to implant Medtronic's new investigational device during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Imricor Medical Systems, Inc. announced the first three cardiac ablation procedures were completed in the first clinical study that is evaluating the feasibility of their MR-enabled products to treat atrial flutter. Professor Reza Razavi, Head of the Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, is the principal investigator for the study and along with Mark O'Neill, Professor of Cardiac Electrophysiology and Consultant Cardiologist, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Trust performed the procedures. The prospective pilot study will enroll up to 15 patients at this center.

Claret Medical, Inc., a developer of innovative solutions for cerebral protection during structural heart, vascular and cardiac surgery procedures, today announced that the first patient has been successfully treated in its SENTINEL Trial in the United States, a multicenter pivotal trial of the Sentinel Cerebral Protection System (CPS). The landmark SENTINEL Trial is the first prospective, randomized, controlled, blinded trial in the U.S. to evaluate the role of cerebral protection during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Direct Flow Medical, Inc., a transcatheter heart valve innovator focused on improving patient outcomes, today announced it has received the CE Mark (Conformité Européenne) for an enhanced transfemoral delivery system for the Direct Flow Medical Transcatheter Aortic Valve System. 

St. Joseph's Children's Hospital announces a partnership with Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC for pediatric heart services. Together, they will provide highly specialized cardiovascular care for patients ranging from babies in the womb to adults with congenital heart disease inside St. Joseph's Heart Institute, a new 35,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility located on the hospital campus in Tampa.  

CFI Medical, a leading manufacturer of innovative radiation protection products, announced CE (Conformité Européenne) approval for the Zero-Gravity Suspended Radiation Protection System Floor Unit today, paving the way for its widespread use internationally. BIOTRONIK, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of cardio- and endovascular medical devices, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, will continue to act as the exclusive distributor of Zero-Gravity outside North America.