Merge Healthcare Inc. announced that Merge Hemo has been named the "Category Leader" in the "2012 Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Services" report for Cardiology Hemodynamics rankings for the second consecutive year.

The first patient has been implanted with the Boston Scientific Corporation next generation Ingevity pacing leads in a clinical trial designed to establish the safety, performance and effectiveness of the leads. Pacing leads are insulated wires that connect an implantable pacemaker to the heart for treatment of bradycardia, a condition in which the heart beats too slowly, depriving the body of sufficient oxygen. Pacemakers work in conjunction with leads to sense and stimulate (or pace) the heart, thus maintaining an appropriate heart rate for a given level of physical activity.

Pulse Oximetry Screening is a life-saving test that can detect critical congenital heart defects (CCHD) in newborn babies before an infant is discharged from the hospital. The test is easy to perform, however, appropriate interpretation of the results can be challenging. In order to aid health care providers in interpreting the results of the screening, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has created the Pulse Ox Tool, a ground-breaking app for smart phones that automates the Pulse Oximetry Screening test and improves the accuracy of detecting children with possible CCHD.

December 27, 2012 — Cardiosonic Inc., a private developer of technology in the field of renal denervation for the treatment of hypertension, announced it has closed on the first $6.1 million of a planned $16.1 million Series B financing.

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), a company focused on global medical technology market intelligence, approximately 80 percent of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures are being performed on high-risk patients who are ineligible for surgical heart valve replacement. New clinical evidence that supports TAVR in treatment of intermediate and high-risk operable patients has led to expanded reimbursement for a new patient base for the procedure. The inclusion of these patients will fuel much of the growth of the TAVR market in Europe over the next four years. The market will grow by 60 percent between 2012 and 2016, following 30 percent growth from 2011 to 2012. The European TAVR market will have a total value of $650 million dollars by 2016.