St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), a global medical device company, today announced the CE Mark approval of its next-generation EnligHTN™ Renal Denervation System for treating patients with drug-resistant, uncontrolled hypertension. The system features an advanced generator that delivers simultaneous ablations via a multi-electrode catheter, reducing total ablation time with the new EnligHTN system by more than 80 percent in comparison to the first generation system, from approximately 24 minutes to four minutes. The EnligHTN system will be on display during the 2013 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) meeting from August 31 to September 3.

Based on findings of the TAO randomized trial, otamixaban should not be used to manage patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) who are scheduled to undergo angiography and PCI. The findings were presented Sept. 1 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2013 in Amsterdam and simultaneously published online in JAMA. 

Cleveland HeartLab Inc. (CHL), a rapidly growing specialty clinical laboratory and cardiovascular disease management company, today announced that its fourth annual symposium, Where Inflammation Meets Lipids®, will focus on unique models and strategies for assessing, treating and preventing chronic disease.

Researchers identified a genetic variant that may be the smoking gun in coronary heart disease risk in people with type 2 diabetes. The genetic variant was associated with a 36 percent increased risk of CHD in diabetic people but not in nondiabetics.

Zotarolimus-eluting stents and everolimus-eluting stents led to comparable clinical and angiographic outcomes after one year of treatment for unprotected left main coronary artery disease in a study published online Aug. 21in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

A subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) that purportedly minimizes lead complications is safe to use and is effective at stopping episodes of ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation, according to a study published in the Aug. 27 issue of Circulation.

The Spectranetics Corporation (Nasdaq:SPNC), a leading maker of medical devices used in minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures, today announced the appointment of Kimberly McIntosh Bridges as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Vascular Intervention, effective August 30, 2013. She will report to Scott Drake, President and Chief Executive Officer, and will be located at the company's global headquarters in Colorado Springs, CO.

An assessment of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality gave the devices a thumbs up for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death compared with no ICD therapy.