A repositionable and retrievable valve proved safe and effective at 30 days in high-risk patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Results from the REPRISE II study were published in the Sept. 30 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

St. Jude Medical has hit the pause button on its Portico resheathable heart valve used in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures after reports of reduced leaflet mobility.

Sanofi and MyoKardia, Inc., a privately-held company leading the development of precision therapies for genetic heart disease, announced today a worldwide collaboration to discover and develop first-of-its-kind targeted therapeutics for heritable heart diseases known as cardiomyopathies, the most common forms of heart muscle disease. The collaboration builds upon MyoKardia’s pioneering science, which hopes to correct the disruptive effects that disease mutations have on heart muscle function.

New data from the Boston Scientific clinical trial program of the Lotus Valve System continue to demonstrate strong performance as a less invasive treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are considered high risk for surgical valve replacement.

WASHIINGTON, D.C.—Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) added more than two years to the life of inoperable patients with severe aortic stenosis, according to five-year results of the PARTNER I trial presented Sept. 13 at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics scientific session. The device also showed good durability, researchers said.

Children with familial hypercholesterolemia who were given statins as treatment slowed the progression of their mean carotid intima media thickness after 10 years of treatment to nearly normal rates, according to research published Sept. 10 in JAMA.

Claret Medical, Inc., developer of innovative solutions for cerebral protection during structural heart, vascular and cardiac surgery procedures, today announced completion of enrollment in the CLEAN-TAVI clinical trial studying its filter-based cerebral protection system (CPS). The trial was designed as a first-of-its-kind, randomized controlled trial powered to definitively demonstrate the importance of cerebral protection in reducing the number and volume of new cerebral lesions created by debris lodged in the brain as a result of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Medtronic, Inc. today announced CE (Conformité Européene) Mark for the 23 mm CoreValve Evolut(TM) R System for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The novel, self-expanding valve and 14FR equivalent delivery system offers new capabilities that  advance valve performance and deliverability during the procedure, while providing the option to recapture (re-sheath the valve back into the catheter) and reposition (move the valve to a new position either above or below its current placement) the valve during deployment phase, if needed.