For the first time, a minimally invasive transcatheter valve — tested by Baylor Research Institute in Dallas (BRI) — has been shown to save more lives than open-heart surgery, according to new research revealed at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) 2014 Scientific Sessions and published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Advanced Circulatory, makers of medical devices providing Intrathoracic Pressure Regulation (IPR) Therapy, will continue to work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on a pathway to premarket approval (PMA) for the company’s ResQCPR System, based on recommendations from the FDA Circulatory System Devices Advisory Panel meeting on May 6.

May 16, 2014 — New data presented as a late-breaking clinical trial at the Heart Rhythm Society's (HRS) 2014 annual scientific sessions show that an advanced pacing feature exclusive to Medtronic pacemakers significantly delays the progression of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with bradycardia. Results from the MINERVA (MINimizERight Ventricular pacing to prevent Atrial fibrillation and heart failure) study found that the Reactive ATP algorithm reduced the development of persistent AF by a 58 percent relative reduction compared to standard pacemakers (p<0.001).

May 15, 2014 — Blackford Analysis is demonstrating its suite at the 2014 annual meeting of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) in Long Beach, Calif. Blackford’s technology provides the ability to improve care and increase productivity by boosting image comparison efficiency by 20 to 50 percent.