CardioKinetix Inc. announced it has completed a $50 million financing led by Edwards Lifesciences Corp. with participation from other existing investors. This financing provides CardioKinetix with the capital necessary to complete the PARACHUTE IV randomized pivotal clinical trial of the Parachute ventricular partitioning device for the treatment of heart failure.

CardioCell LLC announced the treatment of its first patient in the University of Pennsylvania’s Phase IIa clinical trial for chronic heart failure (HF) of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Researchers at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation have found that when care teams started following a new set of guidelines for certain patients recovering from cardiovascular surgery, hospital stays (and the associated costs) were reduced.

BioCardia Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company’s application to begin a Phase III clinical trial of its bone marrow-derived CardiAMP Therapy for heart failure. The clinical trial is a randomized, controlled, multi-center study of 250 patients evaluating CardiAMP Therapy at up to 40 clinical sites.

Researchers reported on a procedure that can preserve fertility and potentially save the lives of women with a serious pregnancy complication called placenta accreta. Results of the new study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) showed that placement of balloons in the main artery of the mother's pelvis prior to a Caesarean section protects against hemorrhage and is safe for both mother and baby.

Fatigue, increased irritability and feeling demoralized may raise a healthy man or woman’s risk of first-time cardiovascular disease by 36 percent, according to a study led by researchers at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai Roosevelt hospitals. Study results were presented on Nov. 17 at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2014 in Chicago.