September 11, 2014 — Patients who rely on pacemakers and defibrillators to maintain a normal heart rhythm run the risk of serious health complications if they don’t fully understand how the devices work and what to do when they experience an irregular heartbeat. But a study from Columbia University School of Nursing, published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, found that 40 percent of patients with these devices had little to no ability to understand information about their cardiac health.

Growing awareness of the harmful effects of radiation exposure is driving the uptake of ultrasound systems, which are radiation free, less expensive, and more versatile than bigger modalities such as magnetic resonance (MR).

U.S.-based Medtronic said it would purchase Ireland-based Covidien for $42.9 billion, combining two of the world's biggest medical device makers and helping Medtronic savings with a headquarters change.

Only 25 percent of interviewed ambulatory providers report that meaningful use is having a positive impact on patient care.

September 10, 2014 — ResMed announced results from a study presented at the 2014 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Barcelona, Spain, looking at the use of the at-home, contactless, bedside SleepMinder device to diagnose sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), the most common co-morbidity in patients with heart failure (HF).

September 9, 2014 — Tryton Medical Inc. announced an initial closing of an aggregate $20 million private equity financing. Participating in this financing were existing investors RiverVest Venture Partners and 3x5 Special Opportunity Fund, joined by new investor Canepa Advanced Healthcare Fund and an unnamed investor.

Claret Medical Inc. vascular and cardiac surgery procedures, announced that it has entered into an agreement for up to $18 million in a Series B financing.

Community Health Centers (CHCs) across the country, which are the medical home for one in 15 people in the United States, are experiencing an overall increase in patients but fewer uninsured patients in 2014, according to a survey conducted by Direct Relief at the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) annual conference last week. ?