Press Releases

It's estimated that more than 970 million people have hypertension and, globally, the disease is responsible for more than nine million deaths every year, making it one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In an effort to help manage the epidemic, leading scientists from the American Society of Hypertension (ASH), American Heart Association (AHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) convened a joint panel to discuss a global project aiming to improve the treatment and control of hypertension worldwide.

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced that the first patient implants occurred in the Portico Re-sheathable Transcatheter Aortic Valve System U.S. IDE Trial (PORTICO trial). The trial is evaluating the Portico Transcatheter Aortic Valve System, the first aortic heart valve that is repositionable until fully deployed. The trial will enroll patients who are considered to have a high or an extreme surgical risk (meaning they would not be considered) for open-heart surgery.

After two decades of arduous research, a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded investigator at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan (CHM) at the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) and the Wayne State University School of Medicine has published a new study showing that many children with an often fatal type of heart disease can recover “normal size and function” of damaged sections of their hearts.

On April 17, 2014, SynCardia Systems, Inc. received the CE Mark for the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart with SynHall valves, providing the company with control over the last key component required for heart manufacturing.

Elixir Medical Corporation, a developer of product platforms that combine state-of-the-art medical devices with advanced pharmaceuticals, announced that it has received CE (Conformité Européenne) Mark approval for its DESolve® 100 Novolimus Eluting Bioresorbable Coronary Scaffold System.

Objective Medical Systems, LLC has today announced that its Electronic Health Record (EHR) system has earned Meaningful Use Stage 2 Certification from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. This certification represents a significant step toward enabling cardiovascular practices across the nation to select an EHR built specifically for their needs.

Bleeding into the brain following a stroke doesn't have to be big to be bad, says a researcher exploring a therapy to eliminate the major risk of minor bleeding.

In order to add to scientific and medical progress, Boehringer Ingelheim is engaged in a program to make clinical study data and other clinical study related documents more widely accessible for approved products or after termination of a drug development program.

Medtronic, Inc. today announced the results from the first prospective randomized clinical trial to show that Medtronic implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) can safely extend detection times before triggering therapy in secondary prevention patients. The results of the PainFree SST sub-study, unveiled today as a late-breaking presentation at the Heart Rhythm Society's 35th Annual Scientific Sessions, demonstrate that physicians can choose to program ICDs with delayed detection interval settings without compromising safety for high-risk patients.

New data presented as a late-breaking clinical trial at the Heart Rhythm Society's 2014 Annual Scientific Sessions show that an advanced pacing feature exclusive to Medtronic, Inc. pacemakers significantly delays the progression of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with bradycardia (slow heart beat). Results from the MINERVA (MINimizERight Ventricular pacing to prevent Atrial fibrillation and heart failure) Study found that the Reactive ATP® algorithm reduced the development of persistent AF by a 58 percent relative reduction compared to standard pacemakers (p<0.001). 

Patients using the Boston Scientific Corporation LATITUDE™ Remote Patient Management system with wireless telemetry demonstrated significantly lower mortality and fewer hospitalizations than patients with LATITUDE-compatible devices who were not followed on the system, according to results from the PREDICt-RM study (Patient RElated Determinants of ICD RemoteMonitoring Utilization and Outcomes). The results were presented today at Heart Rhythm 2014, the Heart Rhythm Society's 35th Annual Scientific Sessions in San Francisco.

St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), a global medical device company, today announced that data presented during Heart Rhythm 2014, the Heart Rhythm Society’s Annual Scientific Sessions, found that the use of quadripolar leads reduced the number of hospitalizations by 53 percent when compared to the non-quadripolar group. This hospitalization rate reduction translated into a statistically significant 62 percent reduction in overall costs for both health care systems and patients.

BIOTRONIK, a leading manufacturer of vascular intervention devices, has expanded its line of reinforced introducer sheaths. Following up on the success of the 4F compatible Fortress Introducer Sheath, the expansion maintains the flexibility and stability of the 4F model, and is now available in 5F and 6F. 

A study to investigate how nanoparticles could be used to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease has received £3 million funding.

The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) announced today the first implant of the world's smallest pacemaker at the Minneapolis Heart Institute. The device was implanted as part of a global clinical trial and the procedure was the first of its kind in the Midwest.

Medtronic, Inc. today announced CE (Conformité Européenne) Mark receipt and the European launch of its newest cardiac resynchronization therapy-pacemaker, Viva CRT-P. The Viva CRT-P is not approved for sale in the United States.

ACE is proud to be invited as a guest speaker at the 10th annual Complex Cardiovascular Catheter Therapeutics: Advanced Endovascular and Coronary Intervention Global Summit (C3), taking place June 23-27, 2014 at the Hilton Bonnet Creek, Orlando, Florida. Sheree Schroeder, MSN, RN, RDCS, FASE,  ACE's Director of Quality Review Services , will be speaking on the topic "No Margin, No Mission" A Team Based Approach for Billing.

Abbott today announced that its revolutionary, catheter-based MitraClip(r) therapy has received Health Canada approval, providing physicians in Canada with a breakthrough treatment option that can significantly improve symptoms, disease progression and quality of life for certain people with a heart condition called mitral regurgitation (MR).

Gary Balady, MD, director of Preventive Cardiology and the Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Laboratories at Boston Medical Center (BMC), will receive the American Heart Association's (AHA) most prestigious tribute, the Paul Dudley White Award, at the group's annual Heart Ball on May 3.

Acutus Medical announces the receipt of the CE Mark for its proprietary real-time 3D diagnostic imaging and dipole density mapping catheter.

e-MDs, a leading provider of electronic health records (EHRs) and practice management (PM) solutions, today congratulatedJennifer Brull, M.D., FAAFP, a solo family physician in Kansas and e-MDs customer since 2007, for being named a 2013 Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Champion. Dr. Brull was recognized along with eight other public and private practices across the country for success in achieving blood pressure control rates greater than 70 percent.