Boston Scientific Corporation has initiated the REPRISE III clinical trial, a pivotal study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Lotus Valve System in patients with severe aortic stenosis and who are considered to be at either high or extreme risk for surgical valve replacement.  The Lotus Valve System is the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) device that is both fully repositionable and retrievable prior to release. 

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.

Medtronic, Inc. has received CE (Conformité Européenne) Mark for the TYRX(TM) Absorbable Antibacterial Envelope. This innovative mesh envelope covers an implantable cardiac device to help stabilize the device after implantation and reduce surgical-site infections.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals plans to make a starter pack of the anticoagulant rivaroxaban available in pharmacies in October. The starter pack is designed to simplify dosing for patients at risk of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism during the first 30 days of treatment.

Risk of ischemic stroke within one year of acute MI dropped by 20 percent over a 10-year span in the general Swedish population in a study published online Sept. 18 in Stroke.

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.

When treated for ischemic left ventricular dysfunction, patients who underwent CABG reported better quality-of-life compared with guideline therapy patients at different time points throughout follow-up of nearly five years. The CABG group also had lower depression scores.

GE Healthcare has installed Cath Lab Efficiency Manager at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, MO , a new analytical tool that analyzes the performance of an interventional lab providing hospitals with important data they can use to identify areas of improvement.  Cath Lab Efficiency Manager provides a near-real-time dashboard which displays measures of inefficiency and identifies the factors impacting performance. The tool visualizes where changes can be made to help increase productivity and help improve patient care.