Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to idarucizumab, an investigational fully humanized antibody fragment, or Fab, being studied as a specific antidote for Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate mesylate).

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced CE (Conformité Européenne) Mark and commercial launch of the Advisa and Ensura SR MRI(tm) SureScan single chamber pacemaker devices in Europe. Both pacemakers are approved for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans positioned on any region of the body. These devices are not approved in the United States.

eCardio Diagnostics, LLC (eCardio), a leader in remote cardiac arrhythmia monitoring services in the United States, and Shandong Yocaly Information Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (Yocaly), a remote, real-time medical cardiac monitoring solution provider headquartered in Jinan, China, have recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement focused on furthering the advancement of remote cardiac monitoring products and services in the United States, China and beyond.

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.

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.

John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital is the first in Arizona, and only one of eight hospitals in the U.S., to reduce or eliminate radiation for minimally invasive cardiac procedures utilizing MediGuide™ Technology.