BIOTRONIK, a leading manufacturer of cardiovascular medical technology, announced the first implantations worldwide of its new ICD and CRT-D series (implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators). With Sentus quadripolar leads and the Inventra series, BIOTRONIK offers the only devices for patients with heart failure worldwide that are approved for MRI use. The quadripolar Sentus lead eases the implantation process by giving physicians access to challenging vessels. With CE approval in early July, BIOTRONIK's new implantable defibrillator series includes the industry’s first quadripolar left-ventricular leads to be approved for MRI use. 

Following a heart attack, many heart failure patients suffer from enlargement of their left ventricle, diminishing the amount of blood the heart can pump to the body and resulting in life-threatening left-sided heart failure symptoms such as shortness of breath, decreased urine production, fatigue, and irregular or rapid heartbeat. Treatment options for patients whose left ventricle has enlarged have been limited, until now. Through a percutaneous (needle-puncture of the skin) procedure now available through a clinical trial at PinnacleHealth CardioVascular Institute the first minimally invasive catheter-based device aims to restore normal geometry and function in the damaged muscle (left ventricle). The device is called Parachute and is created by CardioKinetix in California.

Demonstrating its continued leadership in the development of innovative solutions for peripheral vascular disease, Boston Scientific Corporationhas received CE Mark for the Ranger Paclitaxel-Coated PTA Balloon Catheter. 

480 Biomedical, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded Phase II funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to continue the development of a bioresorbable, self-expanding scaffold to treat pediatric pulmonary artery stenosis.

A meta-analysis of predictors of permanent pacemaker implantation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) reinforced findings that patients treated with the CoreValve device were at increased risk compared with patients receiving the Sapien device. The predictors may help physicians avoid atrioventricular block-related complications, regardless of device type.

Frank F. Ing, MD, FAAP, FACC, FSCAI, associate chief of Cardiology and director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, has taken on two new roles at CHLA: chief of the Division of Cardiology and co-director of the Heart Institute. Ing replaces Michael Silka, MD, who filled both positions for more than 15 years. Ing assumed his new responsibilities as of July 1.

Incidence of ischemic stroke in patients aged 65 and older decreased by 41 percent between 1988 and 2008, according to data published in the July issue of the American Journal of Medicine. Hemorrhagic stroke decreased 16 percent in the same time period.

For abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is safer than open aneurism repair (OAR), according to a study published July 9 in JAMA Surgery. The study compared minimally invasive EVAR with the invasive OAR surgery using patient safety indicators.